American Idol Season 8

[JeeberD]

AI is back with auditions shows starting tonight. And with a fourth judge, to boot...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Over/under on number of obsessed fans that take their own life after this round of tryouts?

[MJ4H]

I can't wait for the inevitable debates a la Archuleta and Melinda Doolittle. Ok, yes I can. :D

[Lathum]

looking forward to it, but I hope the audition period is shorter then last year, I really don't need a month of people looking like morons on purpose to get on TV.

[Mustang]

I really don't need a month of people looking like morons on purpose to get on TV.

Which show are we talking about here? :)

[Draft Dodger]

welcome back to the FOF boards, Jim.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

welcome back to the FOF boards, Jim.

Jim is the 4th judge? Talk about a ratings killer.

[NoSkillz]

welcome back to the FOF boards, Jim.

Actually, I think he posts his reviews at his own website now, doesn't he?

[wade moore]

I can't wait for the inevitable debates a la Archuleta and Melinda Doolittle. Ok, yes I can. :D
We can't help it that you're wrong so often ;).

[rkmsuf]

wurd

[Mustang]

wurd

You not post for months just waiting for the AI8 thread to appear? :)

[rkmsuf]

You not post for months just waiting for the AI8 thread to appear? :)

I'm going for Maximum Impact.

[EagleFan]

Loved the bikini, not sure how well she sang though as I was a bit distracted. :D

[Raiders Army]

The new judge isn't too bad.

[Thomkal]

It'll be very interesting to see how far the blind guy goes. I liked his voice the best of those who moved on to Hollywood, but other than him no one really stood out for me.

[cuervo72]

Loved the bikini, not sure how well she sang though as I was a bit distracted. :D

That girl did some weird things with her head when she sang.

[EagleFan]

That girl did some weird things with her head when she sang.

Not sure, I couldn't get my mind off her ass... :)

[Drake]

Like you were looking at her head, cuervo. You were too busy googling her probable pr0n career.

[MJ4H]

OK the new judge.

1) she's hot
2) she looks so familiar
3) she's a bitch (that was one of my biggest fans? what does that say about me? )
4) she's so insecure she wanted to prove she could sing to a contestant (and yeah she blew bikini girl out of the water on that song. not even close)

verdict: mixed, but hot, so approved

[Drake]

OK the new judge.

1) she's hot
2) she looks so familiar
3) she's a bitch (that was one of my biggest fans? what does that say about me? )
4) she's so insecure she wanted to prove she could sing to a contestant (and yeah she blew bikini girl out of the water on that song. not even close)

verdict: mixed, but hot, so approved

Agree on all counts, but just like with wives, the bitchiness may get really grating after awhile. Too bad my wife isn't only on from January to May. :lol:

[zums]

YouTube - LovinLife with Katrina Darrell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yil7RMsebQo)

I bet Seacrest was hoping she would not make it through to Hollywood so he could bang her....

[GrantDawg]

YouTube - LovinLife with Katrina Darrell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yil7RMsebQo)

I bet Seacrest was hoping she would not make it through to Hollywood so he could bang her....


I don't think his boyfriend would let him.

[Eaglesfan27]

OK the new judge.

1) she's hot
2) she looks so familiar
3) she's a bitch (that was one of my biggest fans? what does that say about me? )
4) she's so insecure she wanted to prove she could sing to a contestant (and yeah she blew bikini girl out of the water on that song. not even close)

verdict: mixed, but hot, so approved

I also agree with all of those points. She was also on point with her criticism of most of the people such as calling out her biggest fan for singing nasally among others. I think I'm going to like her.

[Kodos]

Eh. Bikini girl was flat. Can her.

[cuervo72]

Like you were looking at her head, cuervo. You were too busy googling her probable pr0n career.

Well, have to tone down the ogling around the kids.

(they don't quite get why she'd want to go to the audition in a bikini - "SHE'S ALMOST NAKED!!! WHY IS SHE ALMOST NAKED???")

[cuervo72]

Eh. Bikini girl was flat. Can her.

This is also very true.

[rkmsuf]

yeah analysis of this first show makes any sense at all


fucking the new judge is the only rational solution

[MJ4H]

I'll take one for the team. More like she'll take one DUCY

[RendeR]

Delete this thread and block the network carrying this crap now. Save yourselves the humiliation of being known as the people that actually WATCHEd this crap.

[rkmsuf]

Delete this thread and block the network carrying this crap now. Save yourselves the humiliation of being known as the people that actually WATCHEd this crap.

eat yourself and save humanity the humiliation of producing you

[RedKingGold]

Delete this thread and block the network carrying this crap now. Save yourselves the humiliation of being known as the people that actually WATCHEd this crap.

Forget it. You're an immoral idiot and don't deserve an intelligent response.

[RendeR]

eat yourself and save humanity the humiliation of producing you


Umm....yeah. Is this english?

Forget it. You're an immoral idiot and don't deserve an intelligent response.

Yes, I'm sure my morality has everything to do with it. If you can't handle someone stating an opposing opinion perhaps a message board isn't the right place for you?

I find it funny that you two are the ones responding to my post though. I should have expected as much, but its funny either way.

[Scoobz0202]

Lol.

[RedKingGold]

Hey, you bring it on yourself by your idiotic posts.

I'm fine with calling you an immoral douchebag.

[RendeR]

Hey, you bring it on yourself by your idiotic posts.

I'm fine with calling you an immoral douchebag.


Ok, so you can't handle humor directed toward you. You have nothing better to argue with than personal attacks and insults, and you blame your ignorance on other people's posts.

Gotcha. Thanks for the update but I knew all this already ;).

[RedKingGold]

Good. We have an understanding then.

[Groundhog]

I feel bad for the crying girl who got sent to Hollywood thanks to the pity vote. Simon wasn't being nice by send her through. She can't sing and is just going to get her heartbroken in Hollywood.

[Scoobz0202]

Which one? There was a lot of crying tonight.

[Anthony]

eat yourself and save humanity the humiliation of producing you

by "eat yourself" do you mean you want him to eat his own flesh, or are you insinuating he has a pussy and he should perform cunnilingus on himself? :confused:

[MizzouRah]

I'm going to watch just so I can see more of Kara DioGuardi. Goodness.. something about this woman gets me going.. yummy!

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2008/features/tvblog/080908/kara_dioguardi_240x320.jpg

[Drake]

She's a dead ringer for a young Valerie Harper (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001320/).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

We heard so much about emphasizing more legitimate talent in these early shows, but I still see plenty of stupid to go around. Good to see some of that stupid resides in Kansas City after watching last night's show.

[JeeberD]

I haven't watched it yet, but apparently one of my employees was on Tuesday's episode. Tall, blonde dude in a black shirt and sunglasses. Apparently they didn't show his audition, but he was in a couple of group shots (he did get a close-up) and they showed him dancing or something...

[Solecismic]

Interesting format change this season. I hope it helps, but it doesn't address some of the issues with the show.

There's definitely less emphasis on the terrible, cringe-inducing singers. I think that's a plus. But I wish we saw more of the singers where there was some question as to whether they'd get that Hollywood invite.

Instead, we're seeing very few of the really good singers, and far more of the singers with compelling back-stories. These are likable people who can barely hold a tune who are taking the place of decent singers who would probably benefit far more from an invitation to California and the chance to train for a while.

Sadly, I think that means Hollywood will be less interesting this season. And an environment in Hollywood where it's less a boot camp and more an extension of the rehearsal shows. If half of the 147 invited are just there because they have a good story to tell, Hollywood isn't the test it should be. The judges have less work to do, and are far more dependent on the screeners.

I've always thought Hollywood week should be extended on the show. That's our opportunity to hear the compelling back-stories. Except these would be from singers who actually have some talent, people we could get to know.

I like the new judge, though she has used the word "chops" about 73 times in one week. I think they should have dumped Paula, though. Four is too many.

[Solecismic]

Actually, I think he posts his reviews at his own website now, doesn't he?

I'm going to switch back to posting them here this season. I still haven't figured out quite what to do with the Frontier.

welcome back to the FOF boards, Jim.

Thank you. I've been lurking, as always. Felt bad about not having a new game this past fall.

[Scoobz0202]

When does Hollywood week start? How much longer is there going to be audition shows? I personally hate the audition shows...

[Flasch186]

Thank you. I've been lurking, as always. Felt bad about not having a new game this past fall.

As well you should have, instead Im having to bide my time playing this crappy soccer game ;)

[EagleFan]

Welcome back Jim.

(now stop watching idol and get back on TCY 2.... :D )


On an Idol note. I can't figure out Kara. Sometimes she looks so-so and other times she looks smoking hot.

[RedKingGold]

Audition shows are two more weeks, I think.

[Thomkal]

what do you all think of Jason Castro's brother making it through to Hollywood? Are we really supposed to believe he only practiced for 20 days before the audition? I'm not sure I would have passed him on to Hollywood without the Castro connection as his voice wasn't that good. Better than I espected though.

[Flasch186]

to me it sounded like someone with some natural ability who spent 3 weeks rehearsing with a brother who's experienced this all once before. meh

[MizzouRah]

what do you all think of Jason Castro's brother making it through to Hollywood? Are we really supposed to believe he only practiced for 20 days before the audition? I'm not sure I would have passed him on to Hollywood without the Castro connection as his voice wasn't that good. Better than I espected though.

He was definitely one cocky son of a b....

[Lathum]

So far the auditions arent as bad as in the past.

You can definantly see they are going for good stories and backstories. There also seems to be alot less of them making fun of mentaly impaired / really really stupid people who don't know any better.

There also seemed lees of the people who knew they had zero shot and were doing schtik to get on TV.

My favorite people are the ones who think they are good because their family/ friends don't have the heart to tell them they stink. I looked at my wife last night and told her to please tell me when I am terrible at something, except sex.

[Eaglesfan27]

On an Idol note. I can't figure out Kara. Sometimes she looks so-so and other times she looks smoking hot.

Agreed. I also thought she only look so-so in most of the pictures from before she came on the show. I think her hotness is partially a product of the right TV lighting and makeup. But when she looks hot, she looks very hot.

[Lathum]

Agreed. I also thought she only look so-so in most of the pictures from before she came on the show. I think her hotness is partially a product of sitting next to Paula Abdul. But when she looks hot, she looks very hot.

fixed

[Drake]

Agreed. I also thought she only look so-so in most of the pictures from before she came on the show. I think her hotness is partially a product of the right TV lighting and makeup. But when she looks hot, she looks very hot.

On a completely unrelated note, you just perfectly described my take on Tina Fey.

[rkmsuf]

by "eat yourself" do you mean you want him to eat his own flesh, or are you insinuating he has a pussy and he should perform cunnilingus on himself? :confused:

excellent question sir

in this case he definately has a pussy but I wouldn't want to see him receive pleasure from eating himself "out".

eating himself here would involve enjoying his own flesh as a meal. if he eats his pussy in a painful way I'd be for that too.

[Raiders Army]

Why were they in Puerto Rico? This ain't Puerto Rican Idol. Bad enough they get U.S. citizenship and voting rights when they're in the U.S. They wanna have their own Olympic team and World Baseball Team? They get all the benefits of being in the U.S. but play the sovereignty card when it's convenient.

That being said, some of the people from NY and Puerto Rico were bad. The girl with the "cute" brother had a fat neck.

[Eaglesfan27]

That being said, some of the people from NY and Puerto Rico were bad. The girl with the "cute" brother had a fat neck.

Yes she did and I didn't think her voice was that good either. I didn't hear any really impressive singers tonight.

Kara on the other hand was looking very good a night or two ago.

[Scoobz0202]

Now I can start watching. I watched the first couple of episodes of auditions, but like every season I have to stop watching until Hollywood. I can't stand how 80% of the audition episodes focus on the negative, and they will occasionally throw in a good audition.

[DrAFTjunkie]

Loved the girl who mispronounced trachea. She was singing from the wrong rectum...

[Thomkal]

I didn't think the girl with her brother was good enough either. give her a year or two with some training and I think she might be, but not now. Overall I wasn't that impressed with the talent they sent on to Hollywood, but I think the eventual winner will come from the Salt Lake audition.

And Scoobz, they did make the effort to concentrate more on the good than the bad this season which was a relief. I would say it was 60% good to 40% bad.

[Raiders Army]

Kara on the other hand was looking very good a night or two ago.
Yep yep.

[Mustang]

Someone needs to take Tatianna out back and put a bullet in her.

Thankfully the 'bikini girl' is gone. She was a vile human being.

[Pumpy Tudors]

need more bad auditions pls thx

welp guess ill go back to watching penguins hockey because thats as bad as it gets these days

[sabotai]

Someone needs to take Tatianna out back and put a bullet in her.

Thankfully the 'bikini girl' is gone. She was a vile human being.

Yeah, both of them needed to be gone, but getting rid of 1 of them is good enough for now. Hopefully Tatianna doesn't last much longer.

[Thomkal]

yeah I'm with you. Both Tatianna and Bikini Girl shouldn't have made it toHollywood. Neither has that great a voice. They are only there because of the drama. I was surprised that the Osmond guy didn't make it to the final round of cuts and an earlier cut, the blonde girl with glasses who was the caretaker for her grandmother.

[Mustang]

the blonde girl with glasses who was the caretaker for her grandmother.

That girl is destined for greatness.

And by greatness I mean fatness.

[Danny]

Quite a few male singers I like so far and a one or two females. I actually knew a contestant this year, Frankie Jordan worked at a restaurant I would eat at sometimes.

[Thomkal]

Ugh looks like we're going to have to put up with Tatiana a while longer. :(
Surprised they split up the best friends, but I think Danny's going to go a long way. Surprised they took Nathaniel-the weird dressed and hair kid over the other guy in the sing-off. The guys have more potential overall than the girls at the moment I believe.

I wish though they would stop with the BS where they say something like-"And then there was the last two hopefuls, it's 8:30 at night....blah, blah," and then when they come out after they find out they both made it, half the group is stil there waiting to find out if they made it or not. So they obviously were not the last two hopefuls. I'm glad that one guy made it through though of those two, Michael I think his name is. I think he has a country music career in the making already.

[Scoobz0202]

Putting Tatiana's annoying attitude aside, is she really a good singer? I haven't been impressed with her at all, and then you throw her image in there and there is no way in hell I would have her in the top 36... let alone the top 72.

Why the hell is she still in there?

[MJ4H]

She's alright. Average for this competition at this stage.

[Lathum]

It's absurd that the guy who walked off the stage during hollywood week made it while both best friends didn't

[Lathum]

and Norman/ Nick made it through. Fucking joke

[Lathum]

Predictable ending.

Danny Gokey is by far my favorite. I can't imagine what that poor kid is going through having just lost his wife. You can see the emotion on his face everytime he sings,

[Danny]

It's Danny Gokey which is a much better name than David. He's also my favorite so far although quite a few of the guys can sing well. I haven't really seen much of the girls so far.

[Solecismic]

The comic guy doesn't bother me at all. He can sing. He'll be out rather quickly if he goes with the annoying persona.

I'm not as happy about the format as I thought I would. Seems like there's less of a chance of a decent, but not immediately eye-catching performer going through.

I know the judges get three lifelines, but I'm thinking it's going to very difficult for a Jordin Sparks type to break through. Much more dependency on a positive spin backstory than in the past.

I'm worried the crying/screaming Tatiana Del Toro train wreck has a chance, though she's definitely in the toughest bracket, which will go next week.

Breaking news on the plant front. Everyone's favorite experienced-beyond-all-comparison plant, Joanna Pacitti (brunette with those gorgeous eyes), has been ruled ineligible. Felicia Barton replaces her in the top 36.

American Idol (http://mjsbigblog.com/)

Apparently, there were too many personal ties to the group that produces Idol. Ugly story that the Star, of all papers, broke last week. I guess they had already taped today's show at that point.

[rowech]

Putting Tatiana's annoying attitude aside, is she really a good singer? I haven't been impressed with her at all, and then you throw her image in there and there is no way in hell I would have her in the top 36... let alone the top 72.

Why the hell is she still in there?

Going to disagree. She's annoying as anything but she can flat out sing.

Overall, it's apparent that they are choosing people with good stories to get people interested. The friend of the guy with the dead wife should have been in there long before some of the ones I've seen. This is has been by far the worst season so far.

[GrantDawg]

Going to disagree. She's annoying as anything but she can flat out sing.

Overall, it's apparent that they are choosing people with good stories to get people interested. The friend of the guy with the dead wife should have been in there long before some of the ones I've seen. This is has been by far the worst season so far.


I agree completely on your point about Danny's friend. It made no sense to cut him and keep some of the people they did. But as for your last line, come on. That is the same thing said every season, along with someone else saying this seems to be the best season.

I'll say I see a lot of potential so far, and Danny has to be the odds-on favorite right now. I've never felt that way about someone this early before. Of course, early flames burn out quickly in this show, and quite often someone unexpected suddenly learns to sing about a month in and starts stealing the show (ala David Cook). I do agree the guy's side is the strongest thus far, even though I usually learn toward the girl singers (much prefer hearing a girl sing over a guy). There are a few girls I'll be interested in seeing how they'll do, but there were a few cut that I wish had been given a shot.

Tatiana hopefully will not be voted off, but in a surprise twist actually be voted to be shot in the bag of the head and dropped in a river.

[Thomkal]

Not sure I like the format for getting to the top 12. Top Male and Female from each group plus the next highest vote getter. Then the judges pick their favorites to come back and participate in a wild-card round where the top 3 go from there apparantly. Seems like too little from each group will get in. The guys side of Group A is packed, and that's unfortunate

[Thomkal]

Oh and another thing I'd love to see gone from AI-that stupid dancing they have the people do when they show the group that's going to participate next

[Eaglesfan27]

Danny is good, but my favorite to win it at this point is the guy who they accused of singing too theatrically, Adam I think. I think his image will work with the young girls that vote and he has a great voice.

[MJ4H]

Glad to see you guys like Danny. Easily my favorite so far. Maybe we won't have any of those old arguments this year. :D

[Ksyrup]

I see no one has picked up my slack in posting spoilers from back in November until now...top 36 was nailed 100% correct a couple of weeks ago by VFTW and Joe's Place. Last night's ep was filmed in mid-January, so the top 36 has been out there for some time.

Just some quick (or not!) thoughts before I slip back into the oblivion:

1. I'm glad they dumped Pacitti. Her extensive background and current ties to all things AI made Carly Smithson look like Pickles by comparison. Among other things that have come out, it turns out she is currently dating Mark Ballas of Dancing with the Stars, who (unbelievably) has a band with Derek Hough (also of DWtS), and they have a new album coming out with one or more songs written by...wait for it...Kara DioGuardi! And the way she kept posturing herself as being so surprised she was advancing every time just rubbed me the wrong way. They did their best to avoid the Carly backlash by acknowledging her past up front, but her ties to 19 Management were above and beyond inappropriate.

2. Ratings are really taking a tumble this year. Tuesday's show beat CBS in total viewers by 100,000. AI used to dominate, but it ain't happening any more.

3. It appears the route they are taking this year, with the addition of 12 people for the live shows, is to fill those spots with entertainment/drama-backstory/controversial "characters" who seemingly (hopefully) have no shot at winning or even making the top 12. Nate, Nick/Normund, Scott, Tatiana, even someone like Von Smith who could either be a train wreck or perhaps squeak by, are all positioned to be "one and done" contestants, IMO. I've been underwhelmed by the blind guy (Scott) and think he's only on there because of his disability - his solo performance was decidedly mediocre (vocally, anyway, I thought). More importantly, can any of these people be legitimate candidates to win, given their appearance/talent/"intangibles"? I think not.

4. Tatiana...she deserves her own bullet point. And perhaps her own bullet. This chick is a joke. Speaking of legitimacy, given the way they have "featured" her, she has no shot. They've made her out to be a narcissistic head case, very possibly mentally unstable, with an annoying personality and laugh...so how could they rehabilitate THAT, even if she's great? Impossible. She is the controversial choice, to spark outrage and get people talking/watching.

I think what they're doing with her is taking one of the audition tricks - bring in a moron who has no clue they can't sing and pull the rug out from under them, then film the carnage - and bringing it to the live show. Except in Tatiana's case, she can sing a little, but she lacks the ability to understand how to use her voice. Her performance on solo day (day 4), the one where she came off the stage beaming about how great she did, was absolutely horrid. To borrow a phrase from Simon, it was "indulgent nonsense." Her singing was mediocre-decent for most of it, but her attempted runs and the warbling shit was completely lacking in musicality and demonstrated a basic misunderstanding of vocal technique. In that way, I think she's like the clueless bad singer auditioners they make fun of every year, the ones who think if they sound like what they hear on the radio, they must be good. Her singing technique and musicality are the equivalent of a Slayer solo (for the 1.5 of you who understand that reference). When she sense the judges didn't like something, he first instant is to break out a snippet of a warble as if that will cure her inadequacies - completely clueless. I'll give them credit, though, they certainly picked the perfect polarizing candidate. I just think they completely turn this competition into a joke if she makes the top 12. Not that AI is the standard-bearer for legitimate music competitions, but what would it say if she made it through - unless this has all been an act and she comes to the live shows with a sane attitude and better vocals than we've been lead to believe?

5. I thought last night's show was unnecessarily cheesy, with the "sing for your life" crap. I have no doubt they had already decided which of those pairs made it, and they were just trying to have more of the drama they had in previous seasons at the end, when they got down to the final 2 guys/girls. That's fine and all, but you know what that did? It robbed from the person who made it the opportunity to really enjoy the moment. I felt bad for every one of those people who couldn't act excited because they had to walk out of there with the other person who got crushed. They almost felt embarrassed, and certainly felt awkward. I thought that sucked.

7. Jackie Tohn/Jessica Langseth appear to be vying for the Amanda Overmeyer vote this year. Can't stand Langseth's affectation in her voice. By the way, she's not a nobody - she's Jonny Lang's (Jon Langseth Jr.) sister.

So anyway, we'll see what happens. Guys seem to be stronger, for sure. I figure I've got 2 more weeks and then this show will start to get boring for me, as always. The pre-show, choosing the contestants, and then the initial performances are always my favorites. After that, listening to the same people sing bad songs week after week tends to wear on me, and I get less interested the longer it goes.

Later!

[Ksyrup]

Danny is good, but my favorite to win it at this point is the guy who they accused of singing too theatrically, Adam I think. I think his image will work with the young girls that vote and he has a great voice.

And he has a built-in audience from his extensive performing background (mostly stage stuff, obviously) who will no doubt be voting for him from the beginning.

[Ksyrup]

Glad to see you guys like Danny. Easily my favorite so far. Maybe we won't have any of those old arguments this year. :D

Danny's decent, but the fact that he's a dead ringer for Robert Downey Jr. bugs the hell out of me and the wife.

[Solecismic]

5. I thought last night's show was unnecessarily cheesy, with the "sing for your life" crap. I have no doubt they had already decided which of those pairs made it, and they were just trying to have more of the drama they had in previous seasons at the end, when they got down to the final 2 guys/girls. That's fine and all, but you know what that did? It robbed from the person who made it the opportunity to really enjoy the moment. I felt bad for every one of those people who couldn't act excited because they had to walk out of there with the other person who got crushed. They almost felt embarrassed, and certainly felt awkward. I thought that sucked.


True. Evidence being that when they replaced Pacitti, they did not choose one of the women eliminated in a sing-off.

I'm just glad they resisted the urge to put Gokey against his best friend in a sing-off.

[Lathum]

I'm just glad they resisted the urge to put Gokey against his best friend in a sing-off.

My wife and I were afraid of that. If that had happened I may have been done with the show. Would have been an insanely classless move.

FWIW I am also not a fan of the sing offs, I thought they were pretty stupid.

[Lathum]

Danny's decent, but the fact that he's a dead ringer for Robert Downey Jr. bugs the hell out of me and the wife.

My wife and I think he looks more like Seth Rogan

[Mustang]

5. I thought last night's show was unnecessarily cheesy, with the "sing for your life" crap.

What better, sing for your life or dance for it?

http://hepcatswing.com/images/swing_kids.jpg

[Eaglesfan27]

My wife and I were afraid of that. If that had happened I may have been done with the show. Would have been an insanely classless move.

FWIW I am also not a fan of the sing offs, I thought they were pretty stupid.

Yes, that would have pissed Mrs. E and I off as well. I'm glad they resisted that urge and surprised that his friend didn't advance on his own merits. I thought he was a final 12 contender.

[Lathum]

Yes, that would have pissed Mrs. E and I off as well. I'm glad they resisted that urge and surprised that his friend didn't advance on his own merits. I thought he was a final 12 contender.

I think the producers were worried the combination of the 2 would go really far because voters wouldn't want to split them up. I think alot of times in these shows people vote on the best stories, not the best singers.

[AgustusM]

I hate the fact that I resisted this show for the first 5 seasons, but my wife sucked me into watching the last 3 and now even our older kids (age 10,9,8) watch it too.

my random thoughts.

1. I have had it with the manufactured drama, worst part of the the show. Seems worse this year in years past, but that may just be my faulty memory.

2. TV has not kept up with the Tivo age. They tease everything over and over and over which was less annoying in the days when you would miss large parts of a show because you dropped in late or the phone rang. Now with watching the entirety on our time line the constant "coming ups" are annoying at best and ruin any suspense at worst. Really was their any chance the blind guy they showed 400 times before he auditioned not going to make it? AI is not the only show that has this problem, but it is one of the worst examples.

3. I am also annoyed by the constant "this will change MY life" Really? Just you huh, the other 300 people are already independently wealthy and are just doing this to keep themselves busy. I didn't realize that you "really, really, really wanted this." I really, really want to win the lottery and I am pretty sure it would change my life - but I don't go crying to the 7-11 clerk.

4. We were all disappointed that Jamar Rogers was cut. As likable a guy as they have ever had on the show. I don't think he was good enough to win, but I do think he was much better than half the others they let through. Plus I was really surprised they cut him considering the story, his image and his likability. It seems others made it through for no other reason than the "good Tv" they provide and he and Danny's story was one of the few good parts of the show so far.

5. I really like: Lil Rounds, Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud, Michael Sarver, Jasmine Murray & Brent Keith. These talented people are the only thing that keeps me watching.

6. Nick, Norman, whatever the guys name is, is very funny but it is absurd that he is still on the show. Only encourages all the idiots to make fools of themselves during auditions.

7. I despise with a passion Nathaniel Marshall & Tatiana - both annoying clueless drama queens that they kept only because they both provide lots of annoying footage. I worry that one or both will be this years Sanjiya that gets votes every week from the people who hate the show and think it is funny to keep alive the train wrecks. It has gotten to the point that they are both automatic combination of mute button and fast forward.

8. Probably the one positive thing about the show for me is how many teachable moments it gives me as a parent. When people act self indulgent, self righteous and just plain moronic we always pause and talk about it as a family. Likewise for those with positive attitudes, humility and good perspective. This is really the only reason I let our kids watch.

[Eaglesfan27]

I also despise Nathaniel and Tatiana, and I suspect many others do as well. However, Nick/Norman is actually a good singer, who probably would have been too boring and not advanced due to "not standing out" if he had played it straight. I think he was very smart with his choices. I still wish he hadn't advanced instead of Jamar.

[sabotai]

I hate shows like last night's. They split them all into rooms, tell one that it's over, and the other 3 that they get to move on. And then without any more singing (except for the exceptionally lame sing-offs), meet with them individually and tell some of them "On second thought, get the fuck out."

To also borrow from Simon, shows like last night are "indulgent nonsense."

And I also really hate Nathaniel and Tatiana. I don't find Norman all that funny, but he can sing as well as a lot of the other guys they put through.

And lastly, Swing Kids is a good movie.

[Mota]

I'm in since AI1. But so far this season is coming across as a joke.

They've given Vote For The Worst readers perfect ammo this year, tons of high drama / low talent people that are SUPPOSED to be cannon fodder in the first round. However when this many people are singing and the fan bases aren't defined yet, it's easy for VFTW to sway the votes and put someone like Tatiana in a prime spot.

Very sad. I know that they want to make good TV, but it also tarnishes the franchise which is obviously quite damaged already based on the dropping ratings.

[Danny]

Jamar definitely should have been in the top 36, I can't believe they booted him.

[law90026]

I think Danny must be a frontrunner. He's got the back story, a good voice, cleancut looks.

And yes, it does look like they're deliberately keeping crappy pple in for drama/debate.

[Thomkal]

I've been meaning to ask did the group they moved Tatiana from when they split them up into four groups go home or not?

And Agustus I like some of the same guys you do-and it really sucks that three of them are in the first group together meaning potentially only one of them gets to the round of 12.

[JeeberD]

My "I can't believe they kept..!" is the blind guy. Great story, bad voice. There was no reason for him to go through...

[MizzouRah]

Glad to see you guys like Danny. Easily my favorite so far. Maybe we won't have any of those old arguments this year. :D

Mine too.

[Danny]

Glad to see you guys like Danny. Easily my favorite so far. Maybe we won't have any of those old arguments this year. :D

I'm flattered, but I'm not even on the show, let's try and keep things on topic.

[Raiders Army]

We just got around to watching last Wednesday's episode. I'm not surprised they booted Jamar for two reasons:

1. He's Danny's crutch and they want to see how he'll do on his own.
2. What's his image? I don't get it. He's like Will Smith 15 years ago. The off-kilter hat? The finger tats? gangsta. The tie? The emo look? Make up your mind fella.

Anyhow, I'm surprised the flamboyantly gay guy made it. I have the same problem with him. Tough guy tats and crying about American Idol. I don't buy it.

Also, Kara's earlobes gross me out. She needs some work done since it looks as if she wore huge earrings too long.

[Eaglesfan27]

I didn't see it when people said last week that this 1st group was too overloaded, but I do now. I enjoyed the first 4 performances and think it is a shame that at least 1 of them won't go on. Alexis Grace is my early favorite of the night.

[Pumpy Tudors]

These post-performance interviews are awkward. So this is why TiVo was invented.

[adubroff]

Anne Marie and Stevie might be the worst two people to make it past Hollywood week in my memory. Svenjaya would be embarassed by either of those two efforts. I liked Alexis a lot so far but the rest haven't blown me away...

Actually not Anne Marie...one of the other girls

[adubroff]

Anne Marie and Stevie might be the worst two people to make it past Hollywood week in my memory. Svenjaya would be embarassed by either of those two efforts. I liked Alexis a lot so far but the rest haven't blown me away...

Actually not Anne Marie...one of the other girls


Anne Marie was good...Whomever did Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.

[Scoobz0202]

These post-performance interviews are awkward. So this is why TiVo was invented.

And I forgot I was watching the recording of it a half hour behind solely for this reason and I have been watching it without fast forwarding until I read this. Thank you.

[Eaglesfan27]

Talk about a plum spot for Danny. Not only does he get to go last, but he is after Tatiana who I'm sure will be a mess.

[Easy Mac]

So it's safe to say little blond and the widower will move on, with anoop and ricky fighting for the wild card. The only question is how many will vote for Tatiana.

[Easy Mac]

The psycho can sing. But damned if she didn't gain 45 pounds.

[Easy Mac]

Danny sounds like what I imagine Carlos Mencia would sound like if he sang

[sabotai]

My pick for best guy was Ricky Braddy, best woman was Alexis and I'd give the 3rd spot to Danny. I'd pick Anoop to go to the whildcard round or whatever that is.

I was very underwhelmed by the women tonight, and if it weren't for the gender rule, I'd put 3 or 4 of the guys ahead before I got to Alexis. What's good about Danny is that he knows what he can and can't do, while it seems like most of the rest of them didn't and picked songs they couldn't do. I'm with Simon in that I'm not buying the hype about Danny, but I'd say he was still in the top 3 tonight.

[MJ4H]

Danny >>>>> everyone else. Braddy was very good, Alexis was aight. Tatiana I thought was surprisingly good. Nobody else stood out to me.

[Solecismic]

I know you've all been waiting for this with bated breath. It's time for the Solecismic American Idol Rankings to kick off its fifth season. Because, if nothing else, you need your musical opinions shaped by a computer game developer.

Last season, I placed my recaps on the Football Frontier and just linked them here. I'm still not completely sure how I want to present the Frontier, so I'm bringing the recaps back to FOF Central in order to encourage more discussion. Even if it's just, "shut up, Jim, I don't care if he has less recording potential than Taylor Hicks, I love him anyway."

Tonight, American Idol debuted a new formula. In past seasons the semifinals had 24 singers, and everyone sang in every round. This season, 36 semifinalists were chosen, and divided into groups of 12. The top three from each group will advance to the finals, plus three wild cards chosen by the judges in what will be hereafter called the Braddy round.

I've thought about this a while, and I don't like the new format. There's just not enough opportunity to develop a following. Instead of the bottom four dropping out this week, or 17% of the group, a full 27 singers (75%) will be voted off the island based on only one performance. And then three will return in what is bound to seem rather contrived fashion.

Expansion seems ill-considered at this point, as well. American Idol is now in its eighth season, and anyone from 16-29 can try out. The pool of extraordinary 16-29s who can succeed in this format gets smaller each year, as the best reach the semifinals and can not participate in future years. It's inevitable that we get a lot of not-quite-good-enoughs from years past. One semifinalist has been to the Hollywood round three times now.

Everyone knows the drill.

This was reflected tonight. Song choice means a lot in the early rounds, and there's enormous pressure to stand out, this year more than ever. This definitely created song choice panic. So not only do we have an expanded and likely much less talented pool, we have singers getting away from what they do best in a somewhat hopeless attempt to manipulate the audience into voting their numbers.

It was a dismal night, even by the lowest of Idol standards. I can't think of a single woman among the six who sang who deserves even a Malubay look at the final 12. At the end of the evening, when Danny Gokey sang and actually sounded good, the judges were so thankful they practically proclaimed him the next coming of Kelly Clarkson herself, forget about the voting, forget about the next 13 weeks.

With that in mind, on to the rankings:

1) Danny Gokey. Tonight was so bad and Gokey's backstory so compelling that by the time Danny sang, he could have belched the Latvian National Anthem and still won the evening. Idol's producers love his story. He's a credible musician whose wife died just weeks before the auditions began. He has a best friend who cries. He seems humble and very likable. The producers gave him the pimp spot to round off the night just in case America hasn't yet made him the overwhelming favorite. I feel manipulated as hell, but he was solid from the start and easily delivered the top performance of the evening. He has range and the ability to riff in the way Idol singers are supposed to riff. He had good stage presence. He will be around for a long, long time. Whether I start hating him as much as I hated Taylor Hicks remains to be seen. Score of 90.

2) Ricky Braddy. It's been a few months and there are likely many new Idol production employees. Ricky is soft-spoken. Couldn't hear him at all in the interviews, the microphone levels were off. He looks like a toothpick with peach fuzz and he comes across as so subtle that where he's supposed to add texture to a song he just appears timid instead. Still, he has a very nice voice and he hits his notes. I wasn't expecting such a soulful performance, he needs to sell that better. Score of 78.

3) Stephen Fowler. Yeah, third with a thoroughly mediocre imitation of Michael Jackson. No, I'm not insane. Third through ninth was just about interchangeable. Stephen was pleasant. Like someone took a computer program and designed an Idol performance. One big, clear note in the middle, one nice riff at the end, a little bit of range, a little bit of soul. I think Stephen can sing. My question is whether he's mentally ready for this competition. Score of 69.

4) Anoop Desai. Like Danny, a huge pre-game favorite. Who wouldn't embrace such an unlikely possessor of such a big voice? It's like having Sanjaya with descended testicles. Sadly, instead of soulful tonight, Anoop was Justin Timberlake. He chose a weak song that made him sound rather goatish and whiny. And he missed more than his share of notes. Fourth today is like tenth on a normal day. A couple more performances like this, and he'll be reduced to a novelty. Score of 67.

5) Tatiana Del Toro. She chose Whitney and she didn't make a total fool of herself. Tonight, that's good enough for number one among the women. Enjoy it, because you'll never see another performance this mediocre at the top of any list as long as Idol is in production. Tatiana was sharp at times, nerves rattled her volume a bit, she didn't go for the big notes that are probably necessary with a song like this. But she was credible, and on a day when all the females truly stunk, she stunk just a little bit less. Score of 66.

6) Brent Keith Smith. It was simple and unchallenging country schlock. For someone who has as much professional experience as anyone in the competition, it was disappointing. He showed very little range, and he appeared to be almost in tears over Simon's criticism, which was definitely warranted. Score of 63.

7) Ann Marie Boskovich. I feel bad for her over the whole makeup flap in the audition rounds. She's basically an attractive figure who should not be in closeups. She's only 22, but when the camera is close, she could pass for 40. She went after Aretha tonight. The song was too big for her, but at least she tried. I thought the judges were a bit harsh, because she wasn't terrible and it was, by and large, a terrible night. Still, she's not moving on to the next round. Score of 60.

8) Alexis Grace. Here, we have the exact opposite of Ann Marie. A very pretty and wholesome appearance that does not fit her singing style at all. She also chose Aretha. She "dirtied" up her look with a modern haircut, pink dye, grimaces that I guess were supposed to appear soulful. She made a lot of noise. At that volume with this type of song it gives the appearance that the singer has competence, but the net result simply wasn't credible. This isn't Alexis and, no matter what she wants or what advice she's receiving, she is not a soul singer. The judges praised her, but I think they did so because she did what they told her to do, not because it worked. She has an excellent chance of advancing because of that praise, but she has 12th place written all over that ridiculous hair dye. Score of 57.

9) Jackie Tohn. Jackie sounded like she needed a good oiling tonight. She decided on a rather weak and quirky Elvis rendition, and she pranced and she squeaked and probably showed she'd be a nice front-woman for a second-rate Rolling Stones cover band. She could take Alexis' undeserved spot in the final 12, only because the producers seem to love her with unbridled passion. But she doesn't have the voice, any more than she has the body for those ridiculous tight pants. Score of 54.

10) Michael Sarver. I didn't get this at all. He sounded like he was groaning in pain and he danced like he had to pee really, really badly. He got considerable praise, because he's a roughneck and all, and I guess we're supposed to think it's fun for a roughneck to have singing talent. But I think the judges missed badly on letting him through, and his performance was just a bad imitation of what other contestants have done in the past. Still, he is so popular on the 'net he might advance. Score of 49.

11) Stevie Wright. The only teenager tonight, Stevie chose a dull pop song, and ended up sounding like she was channeling the Go-Gos without Belinda Carlisle. In other words, it went a little beyond dull and ventured into the embarrassing. Score of 38.

12) Casey Carlson. I have to admit I wanted, like every other red-blooded male in the audience, Casey to nail her performance tonight. She is gorgeous. But what in the hell was she thinking? I can't say anything the judges didn't already say. It was just karaoke, nothing more, nothing less. You have to wonder why the producers didn't simply stop her from performing this song, as they had to hear this in rehearsal and know where it was headed. Score of 24.

Expected to Advance: Danny Gokey, Anoop Desai, Alexis Grace.

Expected Save by Judges: Ricky Braddy.

Deserves to Advance: Danny Gokey, Ricky Braddy, none of the women.

[Danny]

Danny was my favorite of the night as he has been since his audition. I thought his performance was great. The passion he puts into his singing is what I think makes me like him so much. I also like Anoop and hope he advances, but it wasn't the best choice of songs as he can do better. Ricky was also good. Ideally, I would have those three move on.

I didn't care all that much for any of the other performances, though I wish Michael was better as he's a likable guy.

Since a girl has to get through, I guess Alexis. Tatiania actually wasn't bad, but I want her off the show.

[Danny]

Do the judges pick the 3 wild cards at the end or is it America?

[Thomkal]

Do the judges pick the 3 wild cards at the end or is it America?

I had thought it was America from the earlier descriptions of the wild card round, but it now appears to be the judges picking their three favorites, which just makes me hate this format this season even more. I'd like to see some of the guys from this round get a second chance because I think they have potential just chose the wrong songs.

[Thomkal]

I think Danny and Alexis sail through to the top 12, and I've thought since the audition round that Danny was going to win it all-he's got this spiritual vibe that not many Idol contestants of the past have possessed and it's going to serve him well I think.

The battle is going to be for the final spot I think. Do the fans go with popular Michael, Brent, or Anoop who picked bad songs, or go with an out of nowhere guy like Ricky? And Tatiana is going to get some votes for sure and could even win the women half of the battle. I hope she doesn't make it, but she certainly has a chance to advance.

Have to say I'm very disappointed with the songs Michael and Brent chose. Michael should have been singing country. He's got the look, accent, voice, and life story for it already. That Gavin McGraw song has never been sung well on Idol. Brent chose country, (and I hate they put the two country guys against each other in this format) but chose a song with no range, and he didn't sing it much different than the original singer did.

I feel bad for Ricky now after hearing him sing. His lack of exposure during Hollywood week is certainly going to hurt him, and could cost him a slot he perhaps deserved out of this group.

I think one of the more featured men gets the third spot though due to their already built in fanbase.

[Easy Mac]

Dial idols numbers show its pretty solid for Alexis and Danny, with Michael the 2nd leading guy (none of the others had any numbers showing).

[Danny]

I think even if Anoop is not voted in, he will end up being one of the 3 added. He has too good of a voice to not make the final 12.

[Raiders Army]

9) Jackie Tohn. Jackie sounded like she needed a good oiling tonight. She decided on a rather weak and quirky Elvis rendition, and she pranced and she squeaked and probably showed she'd be a nice front-woman for a second-rate Rolling Stones cover band. She could take Alexis' undeserved spot in the final 12, only because the producers seem to love her with unbridled passion. But she doesn't have the voice, any more than she has the body for those ridiculous tight pants. Score of 54.

LOL.

Is it just me, or should you never pick a Whitney, Mariah, or Arethra song when your chances of going home are so great? Aren't you always going to come up second best?

[Danny]

Danny did well with a Mariah song, as did David Cook last season with Always be my baby. I think women should generally stay away from their songs though.

[Raiders Army]

Danny did well with a Mariah song, as did David Cook last season with Always be my baby. I think women should generally stay away from their songs though.

Good point with men doing women's songs. Did you think his version was "better" than Mariah's version? Just because I've heard her version so many times I'd go with hers.

[Danny]

Good point with men doing women's songs. Did you think his version was "better" than Mariah's version? Just because I've heard her version so many times I'd go with hers.

I prefer Cook's version of always be my baby. For Hero, I'd say probably Mariah's version, but the male/female difference is enough where I can enjoy them both without feeling like one is better than the other.

[cuervo72]

Danny did well with a Mariah song, as did David Cook last season with Always be my baby. I think women should generally stay away from their songs though.


Ooohhh!!!!! JIMMY'S DOWN! Jimmy might have a compound fracture...Jimmy's going into shock!!

[Danny]

Danny really does sing with a lot of passion and soul. And Danny has a good voice. Danny also has a sympathetic story and Danny seems like a nice guy.

[Arles]

The hot chick singing the police song was probably the worst I've heard at this stage in 8 seasons. I don't know how the band could have gone along with it and it completely hurt their credibility (not that it would have mattered as she was not going to do anything justice - except that outfit ;) ).

Danny and Ricky were good, but I really like Anoop moving forward (but his song choice stunk). Ricky has that Anthony Federov/John Stephens feel to him and I think he's going to a) be on key and b) doing soft ballads each night. Still, I think he's going to hit a wall. Anoop can really sing and could get into Clay Aiken territory from a voice standpoint. Danny seems to have the total package. For the girls, Alexis was the best of a real rough group.

I have to admit, after watching (thankfully with Tivo) last night, I'm glad for the format. If I had to watch another night of Jackie, Stevie, Casey, Brent, Stephen and Tatiana, it would be excruciating. None of these people have a chance in heck of winning, so let's get to the top 12 and start seeing more from the real contenders.

[Thomkal]

Dial idols numbers show its pretty solid for Alexis and Danny, with Michael the 2nd leading guy (none of the others had any numbers showing).

Hey Easy Mac,

Can you put Dial Idol results in spoilers please for people who would prefer not to know them in advance? thanks.

[IrishHand]

The hot chick singing the police song was probably the worst I've heard at this stage in 8 seasons.
QFT, but I will really miss her, um, instrument.
http://americanidle.today.com/files/2009/01/casey-carlson-bikini.jpg

I have to admit, after watching (thankfully with Tivo) last night, I'm glad for the format.
Agree 100%. The past couple of seasons, I've dreaded the "top 12 girls, top 12 guys, 2 eliminated per week". After the first week with 4 hours of the top 24, I'm always certain that I have zero interest in hearing over half of them ever again. The current format expedites the process and likely will do a better job of getting to the people I actually care to hear.

Don't get me wrong, it's still flawed (the format) and not really defensible to the extent that you want the show to be a signing contest, but it's better than the previous format imo.

[Ajaxab]

Does the band intentionally suck until they get to the big stage? I thought they were horrible last night and the arrangements, on the whole, did the singers no favors.

[Poli]

Wow. What was Casey thinking? How can you say you did everything in your power to win with a performance like that? Surely at some point during the week you have to just say, "Look, I made a mistake. This song isn't for me" AND CHOOSE A DIFFERENT SONG.

[Mustang]

Last year, I wasn't big on them whoring out Josiah Lemming for ratings since he seemed at least likable, but them putting the screws to Tatianna for the entire show and making her wait was just awesome.

I was really wishing that while Danny was singing, she would have raced onto the stage and grabbed the mic and started singing while security chased her around.

[Poli]

I was wondering where Josiah was this season. I figured he'd be back.

[sabotai]

So is it that every blue-collar person out there voted for Micheal or did he just happen to choose a song that's popular and was an automatic advance (or both)? I just can't see how anyone would put him through ahead of Ricky or Anoop (or most of the rest from last night, including some of the trainwrecks) based on the quality of their performances...

[MJ4H]

I don't get that guy either. I keep being surprised to see him advancing each time he does.

[Eaglesfan27]

I don't get that guy either. I keep being surprised to see him advancing each time he does.

Maybe it is just the judges having worked their mind control on me, but Michael seems like a very accessible likable guy with a nice family and he has a good voice.

[JSB]

I'm pretty sure that 12 wild cards advance from the first three groups for an additional week of performances where the judges choose 3. So theoretically there is a spot for ALL 9 "losers" from this week in the wildcard round.

[Poli]

I hate this expansion and junk. I wasn't thrilled with the old format...but I have to admit I still don't completely understand this new one.

I agree with Sol as well...it doesn't make sense to expand at this point.

[EagleFan]

QFT, but I will really miss her, um, instrument.
http://americanidle.today.com/files/2009/01/casey-carlson-bikini.jpg



If she had only worn that she would not be going home. I would have been voting for her all night.

[AgustusM]

I really like Danny Gokey - his combination of voice, performance, story and general likability have made him my favorite in the three seasons I have watched. I would buy a CD from him right now.

I also really liked Ricky Braddy. I thought his performance was very good and I hope and expect the judges to save him.

Tatina has annoyed me all season and I wouldn't have watched one more minute if she had been picked over Danny at the end. Having said that I was actually surprised at how good she sounded tue night. Still her overwhelmingly annoying personality means she just couldn't go soon enough for me.

Alexis was very good, I am glad she advanced.

I like Michael Sarver, but I thought his performance was not good and he advanced on personality alone. Hopefully he is better next time.

[Solecismic]

I also really liked Ricky Braddy. I thought his performance was very good and I hope and expect the judges to save him.


In order for the judge saves to work, there has to be strong justification. Thinking about it, they might have trouble saving Ricky. They came down fairly hard on him, saying he had a good voice but no star quality.

He picked a good song for his strengths, he was good enough to deserve a pass on a very weak night. He just didn't grab a lot of fans.

Ryan pointed out tonight that Anoop was only 20,000 votes short of advancing. The judges pointed out he made a weak song choice. Because of this, Anoop stands out as someone who could potentially receive a save. They're already setting this up.

If anyone's getting one from tonight, it's Anoop, sadly. Ricky's a long shot. No one else can make any case at all. I think they will follow the voting for the most part, and that's why they had Ryan mention how close it was.

[Raiders Army]

I was thinking Tatiana was on Prozac the past two nights.

[Solecismic]

Next week is going to be a challenge for me.

For the last couple of months, I've been dealing with a fairly serious toothache off and on. Hoping to clear the infection with Keflex, but not quite getting it under control.

I finally gave in, and will have the root canal done on Tuesday afternoon. The infection is bad now, so this is going to be rather painful. I may well be in no condition to listen to music by the time the Idols roll on stage (read Vicodin plus a healthy dose of whiskey-and-coke).

Due to the depressed market for PC games, paying for this also represents a challenge.

So I've decided to open up pre-ordering for Up and Down the River: The Mississippi Years. Just $20 will get you free updates of this game for life.

Thanks for your support.

[lordscarlet]

Vicodin+whiskey sounds like a great way to watch this round. ;)

[Eaglesfan27]

So I've decided to open up pre-ordering for Up and Down the River: The Mississippi Years. Just $20 will get you free updates of this game for life.

Thanks for your support.

ROFLMAO. :D

As far as Tatiana, I think she realized how badly she was portrayed and just made a conscious effort to be more calm, at least until she realized her dream was over and broke down. Either that or she was on Lithium.

[JeeberD]

Next week is going to be a challenge for me.

For the last couple of months, I've been dealing with a fairly serious toothache off and on. Hoping to clear the infection with Keflex, but not quite getting it under control.

I finally gave in, and will have the root canal done on Tuesday afternoon. The infection is bad now, so this is going to be rather painful. I may well be in no condition to listen to music by the time the Idols roll on stage (read Vicodin plus a healthy dose of whiskey-and-coke).

Due to the depressed market for PC games, paying for this also represents a challenge.

So I've decided to open up pre-ordering for Up and Down the River: The Mississippi Years. Just $20 will get you free updates of this game for life.

Thanks for your support.

I think next week's shows are Wednesday and Thursday, so you should have an extra 24 hours to "prepare"...

[rkmsuf]

banging the crap out of that alexis would be outstanding

[Ksyrup]

I don't consider this a spoiler, but just in case...



How about THIS shit?! (comments at the end courtesy of MJsbigblog):






More clues about (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-02-24-idol-live-shows_N.htm) next Thursday’s wildcard show from Simon Cowell via USA Today:Overall, Cowell is happy with Season 8, saying changes to the semifinal structure, including the return of judges’ wild-card picks, will yield better finalists. In next Thursday’s wild-card round, the judges bring back eight or nine singers — not necessarily just from the semifinals — and pick three to round out the Top 12. “I think when we put the 12 together, there will be more personality, more interest and just more diversity,” says Cowell, who wouldn’t specify standouts.The singers they bring back may not necessarily be from the Top 36. That’s what I figured. The producers are going to wring as much OMG SHOCK from the show as they can. It’s the wildcard y’all! Anything can happen!

[Lathum]

interesting

[wade moore]

Danny's friend coming back?

[Ksyrup]

Danny's friend coming back?

If that was the plan all along, then maybe. But given the backlash he's gotten for throwing his wife's death in America's face, I think it might actually hurt him even more.

The first person I thought of who was cut for no discernable good reason, had a great backstory, and a decent amount of support was the homeless R&B singer. It would not shock me to see her come back.

[Lathum]

Backlash?

I hadn't noticed anything.

[Mustang]

Backlash?

I hadn't noticed anything.

Blogs and crap. All pissy because they think he is using his wife's death for votes.

[lordscarlet]

Backlash?

I hadn't noticed anything.

+1

Blogs and crap. All pissy because they think he is using his wife's death for votes.

The internet is dumb.

Having said that, last week I started to worry about how much he brought it up -- because I expected such a backlash. He needs to back off the wife stuff, and possibly off the faith stuff (which hasn't been too bad so far) and just be a normal guy that sings well.

[Raiders Army]

You guys really need to notice Kara's hanging earlobes tonight if she has her hair back. They're freaking disgusting yet I can't look away.

[Danny]

I didn't really notice Danny talking about his wife's death much. He mentioned getting through difficult times, but not that specifically. And I'm not sure he's doing it for votes. It's probably on his mind all the time, so the fact he would mention something about faith isn't surprising. Also, everything shown before last week was the producers decisions. They easily could have (and probably did) specifically pick out times he did talk about faith, being strong or his wife.

[wade moore]

If that was the plan all along, then maybe. But given the backlash he's gotten for throwing his wife's death in America's face, I think it might actually hurt him even more.

The first person I thought of who was cut for no discernable good reason, had a great backstory, and a decent amount of support was the homeless R&B singer. It would not shock me to see her come back.

Yeah, i'm not sure where this "backlash" is. Maybe the super Idol blogs, but not the general voting public.

[sabotai]

I didn't really notice Danny talking about his wife's death much. He mentioned getting through difficult times, but not that specifically.

That's what I noticed too. I would imagine it's hard for him not to bring it up, though, since every single question he gets asked on the show by Ryan seems to be either about his wife or a loaded question meant for him to bring up his wife.

I mean, what he hell kind of question was "And what were you thinking of as you sang that song?" after he sung Hero. Geez Ryan, you have to ask? But I liked how he just answered in general terms. It's like he's aware of how people are going to get worn out if all he does is talk about it, but the show's producers and "talent" aren't.

[sabotai]

dola,


I don't think anyone should be worried about any "OMG Drama" surprises if they take anyone outside of the Top 36. I mean, they let through all of the nutbags like Norman and Tatianna anyway. I can't really think of anyone they could bring back that would be controversial, unless they took someone that got cut awhile back, which I doubt they would do.

[MJ4H]

Allison easily the best tonight. Adam was probably the best of the guys, though I personally liked Kris Allen better. I think Allison and Adam should go through with the third slot going to either Megan (I think that was her name, the Corkrey girl) or Kris Allen. Outside chance of Kai or Mishavonna sneaking in, too.

[adubroff]

Allison was Secretariat tonight, and this was the Belmont.

Adam stunk, they pimped him cause they want him to get through but a song where a lot of moments were, in Cowell's words, "awful" is an awful song.

I'd probably put Kris through on the guys side. I didn't think Matt was as bad as they said, but the band was terrible during his performance. He won't get through but he wasn't terrible.

I have a sneaky feeling Nick sneaks through on Svenjaya factor.

[MJ4H]

I think they pimped Adam because he can really freaking sing. He definitely has the singing chops for this, and he went for it all. So many people just sleep-walked through their songs tonight.

If that clown Nick makes it through, I'm going to have a hard time taking the show seriously. They are playing with fire having him be in the competition. If he becomes popular with a big voting block, this show will take a serious credibility hit.

[Eaglesfan27]

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Nick makes it to the top 12 based on the comedy factor/vote for the worst.

I hope that it is Allison, Megan, and Adam.

[sabotai]

Adam stunk, they pimped him cause they want him to get through but a song where a lot of moments were, in Cowell's words, "awful" is an awful song.

I didn't even think parts of it was awful, I thought the entire thing was awful. It sounded like what someone who does musical theater his whole life thinks hard rock is. A bunch of screaming and shrieking. It was absolutely terrible. I was actually surprised anyone liked it.

BUT, I'd be fully and entirely on board with putting Adam through if that's what it takes to keep Nick off the show.

My votes would be for Allison, Mishavonna and Kris.

[adubroff]

I think they pimped Adam because he can really freaking sing. He definitely has the singing chops for this, and he went for it all. So many people just sleep-walked through their songs tonight.



He's a broke man's Daughtry.

[Ksyrup]

Not just the blogs, but the media's been all over the Danny backlash story since last week. Check his interviews after Wednesday, almost all of the questions are about if he's afraid people are getting upset with him using his wife. I think what put people over the edge was the constant attention he got through the auditions and Hollywood + getting the pimp spot last week + the over the top reviews 3 of the judges gave him, and then to top it off, when he sang Hero again on the results show, one of his friends held up a pic of him and his wife with a tear running down his cheek like, in the words of one article I read, the Crying Indian from that 70s commercial. That really turned a lot of people off because it was so staged and premeditated.

Anyway, I didn't think it was possible, but tonight topped last week for awfulness. How can so many people choose such bad songs and AI, or their handlers, or even their freaking grandmothers, aren't forbidding them from going on stage until they pick something better suited to them. First things I'd do if I made it - hire a vocal coach, hire a stylist, and hire someone who has a freaking clue about song choice.

I love Adam, but I also love the fact that I could see him fronting a theatrical metal band. I hope to God he performs Queen of the Ryche before the season ends.

It's not surprising everyone liked Allison - she chose a sure-fire AI payoff song. Most of them can sing, but she did well because she sang the right song.

For whatever reason, I thought I'd hate Jonny Lang's sister based on her Overmeyerish sing-off performance on the top 36 show, but I actually liked her more than Cockrey tonight, whose feet were apparently stapled to the floor, so all she could do was some annoying fish flop dance the whole time. Jessie's song didn't go anywhere, but she came off really good to me. But I think it's probably because I can just tell she's a real musician up there - you can tell she knows music inside and out, and I guess that came through to the point that I really liked her for it. She was also probably the most self-assured person both performance-wise and in the aftermath of anybody I've seen so far. But I doubt she'll make it, because Cockrey got better reviews and is much prettier.

Thank God they dumped the parent portion of the show and let the judges have more time to speak.

The backing band is horrendous right now, and the backing singers are killing the contestants. I've read that they only have a barebones group right now, and some are speculating it is part of cost cut-backs. Whatever it is, the music sound cheap and cheesy, and the backing vocals suck.

[MJ4H]

Alone by Heart is certainly one of those homerun AI songs. The problem is its a monster to sing. If you pull it off, you are on top of the world. But if you don't you wind up looking foolish for picking a song that is "too big" for you. Allison smoked that thing. She was ridiculous in her interviews, though. Hope that gets better because she will need a decent personality for people to vote for her in the future.

[Easy Mac]

What was up with Corckrey's dancing? If it wasn't horribly uncomfortable to watch, it could have been endearing. When she's on stage, its like someone spliced Brooke White with Carly Smithson.

And don't even get me started on Mindreak Adam. I don't even think Mick Jagger is that full of himself when he sings Stones songs.

Who will move on:
Adam
Corkrey (sp?)
Heart singing girl

Who should:
Corkrey
Heart girl
no one... Just cut one spot and bring back Anoop.

[Solecismic]

In the early rounds of American Idol, I often wonder if the show should change its name to "Where's Waldo," or some more musical, but similar title.

It seems half the judging comments are about song choice. If that were the true test, don't you think it would be a better show if the judges, you know, helped the contestants choose their songs? Just a thought.

I don't agree, anyway. Nick Mitchell, or Norman Gentle, or whatever he is called these days could have belted out The Stones and "Satisfaction" tonight, and it wouldn't have worked in the slightest. Pick a song you like and sing it well. Bonus points if the song shows off your range and/or tone.

Tonight was considerably better than last week's semifinal. This group of 12 is surprisingly more loaded with talent, and there's an almost certain chance we'll see four of these performers in the finals, five if the voters make a mistake and put the welder through on principle. Because, as you know, welders aren't supposed to be able to sing. That's like so cool. Or hot. Welding is hot.

Speaking of hot, it's time for the Solecismic American Idol Rankings. Sure, there hasn't been a new football game in more than two years, but I can rock the house.

1. Megan Corkrey. Speaking of hot, we can thank the NBA for this welcome addition to American Idol 8. Inexplicably, the New Orleans Jazz kept its nickname when moving to Utah. Now, in its 30th season in Salt Lake City, the Jazz have finally inspired a real jazz singer in the Beehive State. Megan took on Corinne Bailey Rae. It wasn't the greatest performance overall - she over-shouted the big notes and she dances like a robot with metal fatigue. But the quality of her voice stood out, and I was instantly looking forward to what she'll record when this is all done. She has an unusual and distinct style, and is far and away my favorite of the first two rounds. Score of 91.

2. Adam Lambert. Broadway comes to Hollywood with this very polished musical performer who has the ability to hit the big notes with controlled and theatrical intensity. He has technical range, but I think he covers a lack of good tone in the lower ranges with his polish. His rendition of The Stones was quite entertaining. I get the feeling I'm being force-fed Adam, though. He got the pimp spot, singing last, and, like with David Archuleta last season, the producers feel they can market this guy as a winner. It might happen. Or he might turn into another Ace Young. A good start. Score of 88.

3. Allison Iraheta. With her Spicoli-esque interview skills and her strange facial contortions, this 16-year-old could be the love child of Fantasia Barrino and Jason Castro. She has a nice loud and husky voice, though, and absolutely nailed the big notes. This is the kind of performance the producers love. I think others have done more with Heart's "Alone," which has to rank atop the list of songs perfect for making a great impression on the voters. Score of 85.

4. Mishavonna Henson. Mishavonna is the exact opposite of Allison. She doesn't have the high range, she would sound like a fool belting out big notes. She's very controlled and literal. She has a nice voice, though, and I'd hate to see her go home so easily. Which begs the question - is the purpose of American Idol to entertain, or is it to show that you have singing talent? Voters typically go with the former. She won't do well in the voting, but I think she'll get a reprieve from the judges with those wacky wild cards. Score of 79.

5. Jesse Langseth. The top four were solid. There was considerable drop-off to number five. While song choice generally matters a lot less than the judges seem to believe, the one thing you can't do is choose a mediocre song sung by a mediocre singer, the combination of which was absolute magic. Which is the case with "My Sharona" by The Knack, or Kim Carnes and "Bette Davis Eyes." With Jesse at the mike, the song's lack of range stood out and she wasn't able to show off much ability. It's impossible not to compare her to Carnes here. I think she has much more to offer, but she won't get the opportunity. Score of 68.

6. Matt Breitzke. Matt chose a standard-like song, and, instead of keeping it simple and showing off his strengths - a nice ability to stay on key and OK range - he made it sound very pretentious and affected. This could have been a great choice for him with the right pacing and phrasing. Instead, it was just mediocre. His enormous popularity with the fans might get him through. Score 67.

7. Kris Allen. Kris can sing well. He is credible. He is somewhat talented. Who is Kris again? Score of 65.

8. Jasmine Murray. She was supposed to be the standout woman today. She was heavily featured in the Hollywood round, and has the look of a star. I thought it was nice that she chose Sara Bareillis' recent hit song, which is very complex and enjoyable. Jasmine just didn't put herself into the song. It was a very vanilla rendition, the complexity overwhelmed her a bit, she missed some notes, she chose odd syllables to emphasize. It's as if she was singing in a language she didn't understand. We'll know if Idol is about marketing or about real singing ability if she gets a pass for this rather mediocre attempt. Score of 62.

9. Kai Kalama. Kai has a big voice. He missed an opportunity to really sell his song, though. He played it far too safe with his Jimmy Ruffin tune from almost 50 years ago. Safe imitations of old soul songs invariably result in the "too old-fashioned for this competition" criticism. In this case, well-deserved. Score of 61.

10. Nick Mitchell. I could go on a while about the merits of selecting Nick for American Idol. I think the producers believed that because he does have some singing talent that once he got to this point, he'd drop the shtick that garnered a lot of attention. But why would he? He's here to win, not just stick around a while. There's always that one-in-a-million chance the voters would spontaneously revolt and propel the comedian into the final two. Just to see Simon quit the show in disgust. It wasn't funny tonight, and if you're going to go after the title with a gimmick like this, you absolutely have to hit the big notes well enough to remind people you can actually sing. Problem is, Nick missed his big note. Badly. Score of 53.

11. Matt Giraud. Matt's from nearby Ypsilanti, Michigan, so I was rooting for him. And I like Coldplay. I know it's not cool to like Coldplay, but I do. Matt doesn't have a power voice, and he threw the kitchen sink at a song that's best sung straight. He sounded breathy and affected. It was not entertaining at all. Score of 36.

12. Jeanine Vailes. Maybe it was nerves. She sounded tight and out of tune, kind of random and squeaky on a song that needs more control. I had a root canal yesterday. If I had to choose between that and listening to more of Jeanine, I'm not sure what I'd decide. Score of 23.

Expected to Advance: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Matt Breitzke (he welds, you know).

Expected Saves by the Judges: Megan Corkrey, Mishavonna Henson.

Deserves to Advance: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Megan Corkrey.

[Scoobz0202]

This new format is fucking stupid. The judges better save the right people.

[Danny]

I don't mind the new format si far. Most of these singers I don't care to hear again which this new format will accomplish. But I agree that it's going to be necessary that the judges save the right people. If they don't, my opinion may change.

[Danny]

Tonight I thought the best boy/girl were Allison and Kris actually. Adam has a good voice, but it's theatrical for my tastes. I guess it was just me, but I thought Megan was only alright.

[Raiders Army]

I only gave Allison props for her song choice and the fact that the ones that came before her were absolutely horrible, thus making her seem better than she was.

[Thomkal]

Was not a fan overall of this group compared to the last group. Not sure I'd root for any of them to win it all. And I'm with you the band and backup singers have to go. They need to get rid of the vocal coaches they've been using since Season 1 too because they are letting far too many of them perform songs they shouldn't be singing.

I think Adam sails through for the guys though Kris could give him some competition. I thought it was way over the top though but it was a Stones song, so if you're going over the top it would be on one of their songs. I cringed when Kris picked a Michael Jackson song because he doesn't exactly have that soul/R&B look-okay he doesn't have it all. But he did a credible job with it. Kinda reminded me of an older David Archuleta. I liked Kai too (though not his hair), was expecting not to like him based on what I saw of him before, but he probably did play it too safe. Matt B also did better than expected, better than the judges thought I think. I liked the first few lines actually where he sung with just the guitar, didn't like it as much when the band "rocked" it up.

I think the girls are probably more wide open with weird interviews/dance moves perhaps hurting Allison and Megan. Allison probably gets through but I liked Mishavonna more overall. I didn't mind she was an 18 year old girl singing a serious song. Something about her and the way she sang it kinda drew me into the performance more than the others. Allison probably gets top girl with the voters with one of the others getting the 3rd spot.

And I have to admit I like Nick/Norman. I think there was a real song mixed in there with the stuff he made up, and I wish he had done more of it, because it sounded good. And I laughed a lot so at least he was entertaining. But I think he was too much Norman, not enough Nick for me. Really needs to showcase his voice more than his act at this point I think. He probably shouldn't go on to the top 12, but I'd laugh if he did.

[cuervo72]

I didn't even think parts of it was awful, I thought the entire thing was awful. It sounded like what someone who does musical theater his whole life thinks hard rock is. A bunch of screaming and shrieking. It was absolutely terrible. I was actually surprised anyone liked it.

Heh. Reminds me of the 80,000 commercials for the Nickelodeon "movie" Spectacular!.

[sabotai]

Heh. Reminds me of the 80,000 commercials for the Nickelodeon "movie" Spectacular!.

Something tells me that I am lucky to have missed every single one of them.


And as far as the wildcard round go, I can't see how the judges will be able to avoid going outside of the Top 36 to fill out the wildcards. For show 1, Ricky and Anoop really only deserve to get another shot (maybe, MAYBE, a few others). If the voting goes the way I think it will (Adam, Allison, Megan - Or Adam, Allison, Matt (the last getting all of the same voters as Micheal got last week) ), then you only have 1 or 2 who really deserve a second shot.

Unless several people blow it out of the water next week, this is good evidence for me that the judges really did a bad job at picking their Top 36.

[Ksyrup]

Unless several people blow it out of the water next week, this is good evidence for me that the judges really did a bad job at picking their Top 36.

You're operating under the assumption (mistaken, I believe) that this was not all set up from the start. My theory is that if they really do go outside the top 36, then the wild card rounds are nothing more than extended live audition shows. I'd say Danny's friend and the homeless R&B chick are the two favorites to be brought back. Both were pimped pretty heavily, did well (or at least edited that way), didn't embarrass themselves, garnered a strong following, had good backstories, etc. Very possible this was all planned. I don't believe anything on this show happens without a specific reason or decision being made to cause it to happen that way.

[Ksyrup]

Case in point - Danny and Adam both get pimps spots, and both blow away the other 11 in votes received.

[Danny]

According to Dial Idol Allison and Adam are both locks. The 3rd spot is up for grabs. I'm not disappointed about this. Both of them can sing and are fine additions to the top 12. I don't have any issues with any of the 5 that are a part of the top 12. At this point the only one I definitely to be one of the 3 wild cards is Anoop

[sabotai]

You're operating under the assumption (mistaken, I believe) that this was not all set up from the start. My theory is that if they really do go outside the top 36, then the wild card rounds are nothing more than extended live audition shows. I'd say Danny's friend and the homeless R&B chick are the two favorites to be brought back. Both were pimped pretty heavily, did well (or at least edited that way), didn't embarrass themselves, garnered a strong following, had good backstories, etc. Very possible this was all planned. I don't believe anything on this show happens without a specific reason or decision being made to cause it to happen that way.

What would be the point of this plan? What do they get out of keeping those 2 people (and others) out of the Top 36 if they believed they were better than some of the singers they let through? What benefit do they achieve by fast tracking capable singers to a "wildcard" round?

[Ksyrup]

A reason to get viewers to watch, and a shake-up of the rut the show has been in the past few seasons. They did this in Season 2, and one of the "fast-tracked" contestants made the top 12. They are looking for any reason to get viewership up. Hence, Normund Gentle:

Here’s what E Online had to say about Nick:

“Nick Mitchell’s Top 36 Inclusion Explained: In terms of total viewers, last night’s American Idol peaked in the 8:30 p.m. half-hour, scoring 25.1 million for Mitchell’s Norman Gentle aerobics, preliminary Nielsen estimates showed.”

This discussion may not matter anyway, since someone with AI says the judges will each pick 2 people from the top 36 for the wild card show, and those "8 or 9" people will perform. I'm not sure where the extra possible person comes in, if each chooses 2. But I guess we'll see.

[lordscarlet]

I would also say that it allows them to control who America routes for -- they can guarantee that Danny and Adam get early attention without distracting them with Jamar or someone else. They skyrocket peoples' opinions of the voted-for winners by putting them against mediocre hacks in the early round. Then they put in who they feel are "second tier" talent in the wildcard, and they have the final 12 they wanted without getting Sanjaya in the process.

[Scoobz0202]

I am hoping that a couple of the girls from last night get picked up in the wild card. A couple of them I see a lot of potential in, and I would be interested to see if they could grow or are just one dimensional.

[Ramzavail]

1. The first 3 people were awful. One worse than the other. Jeanine was a complete train wreck. She should have stayed in the background.

2. Norman Gentle, I used to think was funny, now he's just awful and nowhere near funny. Chicken legs, way off key and the worst joke rebuttal to Simon that didn't even make sense. Shut up. He's got to go. He should have never made it to the 36.

3. Alison was great but she's really weird and awkward and can't do an pre or post interview at all. Added bonus, she looks like one of those trolls we used to collect in the 80s.

4. Kris Allen, broke rule #1 by doing a Michael Jackson song, but he actually did an OK job with it. If he gets through, it was only b/c those around him were so bad.

5. Megan Corkrey, doing "the Corkrey" dance, which is really annoying. Isn't as beautiful as they all think, plus when does a sleeve tattoo = being relevant and unique?

6. Matt - I fell asleep, I don't care how much you love Tonic (see below, no responding)

7. Krusty the clown and Sideshow Bob - were awful. I hate that song and I was cringing when Krusty was telling us how she loves the electric drum claps. I cringe everytime a contestant responses to the judges. IMO - it should be shut up , take your medicine, smile, put up your number with your fingers, move on.

8. Mishavonna was awful, poor song choice, more snooze-fest.

9. Adam - God, I hate Adam. Randy hit it right on the head, it was so maniac and crazy. I thought it was REALLY REALLY bad. Again, they say he's relevant because he looks like an anime character yet he sings a 40 year old song?

Lastly, I couldn't help but think of Jon Lovitz in the wedding singer when thinking of Adam and his maniac "wooooo's"

YouTube - The Wedding Singer - Part 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrr5fWtdLfs) - fast forward to 4:00

Sophisticated MOMMA!

2 shows now and so many wrong songs.

I can make fun, if I was on national TV, I'd be free game.

[MJ4H]

5. Megan Corkrey, doing "the Corkrey" dance, which is really annoying. Isn't as beautiful as they all think, plus when does a sleeve tattoo = being relevant and unique?



dude she is straight up gorgeous

[lordscarlet]

dude she is straight up gorgeous

+1

Well, I may not feel quite as strongly as MJ4H, but close.

[Lathum]

dude she is straight up gorgeous

+2

and tattoos like that on a chick are hawt

[Eaglesfan27]

dude she is straight up gorgeous

+3, although I thought the dance was awkward and distracting.

[lordscarlet]

+3, although I thought the dance was awkward and distracting.

That may be the factor that makes her not quite to the level MJ4H is exclaiming. :)

[wade moore]

One thing about Idol this year:

This thread is going to get really boring really fast if MJ4H is so agreeable this year ;).

[MJ4H]

hahahaha

[sabotai]

Yes, Megan is hot.

Yes, her performance was really, really boring.

[Ramzavail]

I don't see it.

[cuervo72]

+3, although I thought the dance was awkward and distracting.

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[MJ4H]

Allison easily the best tonight. Adam was probably the best of the guys, though I personally liked Kris Allen better. I think Allison and Adam should go through with the third slot going to either Megan (I think that was her name, the Corkrey girl) or Kris Allen. Outside chance of Kai or Mishavonna sneaking in, too.

Easy night to pick I think. Glad to see Kris made it over Megan, who I thought was actually not very good, just different. She missed several pitches and, as others have noted, was just awkward overall. I wouldn't mind seeing her get a second chance as none of the other girls really showed anything at all aside from a little potential from Mishavonna.

[sabotai]

I can see them giving Mishavonna and Megan another shot. They will probably give Matt a shot, too, since they all seem to love him.

[mtolson]

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5xi4O1yi6b0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5xi4O1yi6b0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Man, the clip was too funny. Serious LOL.

[AgustusM]

I hated all 12 performances wed night - worst AI I have ever seen. Didn't even watch one second of it tonight because I hated last night so much and don't care who makes it and I really didn't want to hear any of them sing again.

[Danny]

Kris, Adam and Allison would have been my choices as well. So far, the first 6 in the top 12 I am happy with and as long as Anoop gets in, I don't really care about anyone who hasn't gotten in

[Poli]

This is for Group 2...

[Solecismic]

Just to take a stab at this... 8 or 9 will be invited back next week to compete for three wild-card spots, the winners to go on to face Pittsburgh and Tennessee in the divisional round.

So that means 5 or 6 of the 18 we've already seen dismissed will get a second chance. My odds for those invitations:

Anoop Desai 1-7.
Megan Corkrey 1-7 (need more women, plain and simple).
Jasmine Murray 1-3 (long lecture on song choice, though I liked her song, she just didn't sing it well).
Ricky Braddy 2-1 (Paula's favorite).
Stephen Fowler 5-2.
Jesse Langseth 4-1.
Mishavonna Henson 4-1.
Matt Giraud 5-1.
Matt Breitzke 8-1 (ticked off Simon).
Ann Marie Boskovich 15-1.
Jackie Tohn 20-1.
Tatiana Del Toro 25-1.
Anyone Else 99-1.

Definitely getting the pimp spot (singing last) next week: Lil Rounds.

Other favorites to advance (in order): Scott McIntyre, Von Smith, Kendall Beard, Arianna Asfar.

[Ksyrup]

Totally agree that Lil Rounds is hands-on favorite for the pimp spot next week. I really don't think Scott McIntyre is going to make it, though. Maybe people will vote for him solely because he is blind, but I haven't been impressed with his talent so far. His vocals are nowhere near strong enough. That performance they showed of him in Hollywood was not good at all. And since he can't sit behind a piano at this stage of the competition, I suspect his stage presence is going to be awkward and uncomfortable to watch. I hope I'm wrong, but I think he's more of a Tatiana/Normund/Nate/Kai storyline filler contestant than anything.

I also think Tatiana may get an invite, although I'm hoping not. The producers seemed to enjoy putting her through hell by switching her rooms in Hollywood and then by making her wait until the last second last week, so why not throw her out there one more time to see what kind of drama she'll cook up> Maybe this time she'll faint or something when she doesn't make it.

Very surprised Megan didn't make it through, but never underestimate America's hatred of tattoos. Carly Smithson dealt with it all of last season (among her many issues).

Also very surprised at the curious production decision, two weeks in a row, to quickly resolve the biggest question about who was going to make it (Michael Sarver and Kris Allen) halfway through the show, and instead end the shows with 2 slam dunks squaring off against 2 personalities. Seems to sum up the focus of this season, though, doesn't it?

[Thomkal]

yeah I'm with you Ksyrup, for a show that prides itself on its self-created drama, its been two weird results shows in a row. I mean you put Nick and Kris there at the end and I'd would have given Nick a good chance to advance, but Nick and Adam? Not.

A bit surprised Kris made it through, but I'm guessing a large female contigent is the reason. The girls aren't doing too well this season are they? Lil Rounds should get in next week, but after that? I'm thinking the judges might go with 2 girls in the wild card making it tougher for the guys that remain.

Next week is pretty predictable I think if they pick good songs of course. Lil, Scott, and Von. Could be wrong about Von and song choice will be very important for him. Scott's story gets him through no matter how awkward the performance because I think his voice is good enough. All bets are off if he chooses a lousy song though.

[Ksyrup]

yeah I'm with you Ksyrup, for a show that prides itself on its self-created drama, its been two weird results shows in a row. I mean you put Nick and Kris there at the end and I'd would have given Nick a good chance to advance, but Nick and Adam? Not.


What it pretty clearly shows is a disturbing trend towards steering the audience - even more than they've ever done, and we all know this has never been a fair competition for some people - to the contestants they want to see succeed. As if the amount of face time Danny and Adam have gotten since January isn't enough, they not only give them the pimp spot for their first performances, but also are willing to completely ruin any drama in the results shows just to let Danny and Adam close the show singing, once again. About all that is missing is a neon sign asking America to keep voting for Danny and Adam.

As little face time as Lill Rounds has had, if she's really that good, she actually needs all the pimping they've given Danny and Adam.

[lordscarlet]

Next week is pretty predictable I think if they pick good songs of course. Lil, Scott, and Von. Could be wrong about Von and song choice will be very important for him. Scott's story gets him through no matter how awkward the performance because I think his voice is good enough. All bets are off if he chooses a lousy song though.

I don't think Scott or Von go through based on the vote.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'll be surprised if Scott doesn't advance unless he sings very badly. America loves handicapped performers, and I think he'll get plenty of votes if he is decent. I think it was Josh Blue who won Last Comic Standing a few years ago, even though he was clearly a less talented comedian than his fellow contestants.

[Ksyrup]

America loves handicapped performers

I just took a quick glance at the Billboard Hot 100 and you appear to be correct. :)

But seriously, his voice isn't that great. I don't recall what he sang in Hollywood, but it was mediocre at best. I don't really pull for anyone on this show, but I hope he does well. I just don't think he will do good, which will make it even more uncomfortable if he still gets voted in.

[Danny]

I'll be surprised if Scott doesn't advance unless he sings very badly. America loves handicapped performers, and I think he'll get plenty of votes if he is decent. I think it was Josh Blue who won Last Comic Standing a few years ago, even though he was clearly a less talented comedian than his fellow contestants.

This is probably true. I'm hoping Scott does really well, but he just hasn't sung that well to this point.

[Ksyrup]

As for Von, we already have Adam, why would we need another stage actor? That's like the welder and the oil rigger guys making it - no way that was going to happen. Demographics, people!

[Danny]

Von is a stage actor?

[lordscarlet]

I'll be surprised if Scott doesn't advance unless he sings very badly. America loves handicapped performers, and I think he'll get plenty of votes if he is decent. I think it was Josh Blue who won Last Comic Standing a few years ago, even though he was clearly a less talented comedian than his fellow contestants.

Scott just isn't a good singer. Behind the piano he's supposed to be better, but even that wasn't very good. I think the handicapped story can take you to a point -- but I think this is the end of the road. Much like Nick, the story is interesting to a point -- but if you're noticeably less talented than the rest, you will go down at some point. Josh Blue was actually funny. Having said that, America is generally nowhere close to picking the funniest person on Last Comic Standing. Dat Phan anyone?

Having said all that, he's up against: Jorge, Nathaniel, Alex, Ju'Not and Von. I personally thing Ju'Not is the best of that bunch, but not by a large margin -- Scott doesn't have strong competition this week. Now that I look at the names, this may be the week we finally get two women. Certainly Lil Rounds should do well enough to go through, but I don't even know that I recognize any of hte other girls. OK, maybe you're right. ;) But I definitely don't think both Von and Scott go through. Opinions could completely changed based on their performances next week, of course.

[Eaglesfan27]

LS,

I definitely think the weaker group helps Scott's chances at advancement. Like Ksyrup I don't believe anything that happens is unplanned, so I'm sure that was intentional as well. They set this up to give Scott a real chance at advancing. We've had less interesting/ less talented singers advance to the final 8 or so, and I think Scott will get about that far before his relative lack of talent will end his trip unless he shows some type of amazing growth as a singer.

[Ksyrup]

Von is a stage actor?

I'm sorry, I left out "wannabe." Maybe we'll see something different, but the one performance they showed in Hollywood, Von's theatrics made Adam's Satisfaction look tame by comparison. That was the "indulgent nonsense" comment from Simon. But he seems like he has a really good voice. I just think he oversings to the point of UIC and there is a great opportunity fora crash and burn next week.

Put it this way...the VFTW guys are dying for him to make the top 12.

[Solecismic]

It's difficult to tell a lot from the auditions, and even the Hollywood episodes. This show is carefully edited. I thought the first group was loaded, and it turned out very weak.

I think they're definitely focusing on Lil for now. She's getting the quality edit. Not a huge amount of face time, but everything's positive and we've seen her here and there.

I wouldn't underestimate the power of a handicap in grabbing America's heart. Didn't Dancing with the Stars cast a woman with one leg? This is nothing in comparison.

If Scott is half-way competent, which he seems to be, he will sail through this round. And get him in front of a piano, channeling a little Stevie Wonder head-shake, and America will think he's fantastic.

Why? Because even Simon won't dare come down on him too hard. America loves the underdog. Doesn't matter if he's not one tenth Stevie's voice.

I think the producers will come to regret casting Scott if he's just good enough to get through next week, but paling in comparison to the others.

[Ksyrup]

I think the producers will come to regret casting Scott if he's just good enough to get through next week, but paling in comparison to the others.

I could definitely see this happening. The woman on DWtS you are thinking of is Paul McCartney's ex. So, regardless of how good/bad she was or how much sympathy or admiration people had for her, she still royally screwed a Beatle. And she got cut.

Then again, they also had a deaf woman on there, and she did advance pretty far, but America seemed to have enough sense to let her go before it became embarrassing for her to keep advancing. Maybe the same would happen with Scott.

[Danny]

I'm sorry, I left out "wannabe." Maybe we'll see something different, but the one performance they showed in Hollywood, Von's theatrics made Adam's Satisfaction look tame by comparison. That was the "indulgent nonsense" comment from Simon. But he seems like he has a really good voice. I just think he oversings to the point of UIC and there is a great opportunity fora crash and burn next week.

Put it this way...the VFTW guys are dying for him to make the top 12.

Ah, I vaguely remember that, I actually don't remember Von hardly at all actually.

[lordscarlet]

LS,

I definitely think the weaker group helps Scott's chances at advancement. Like Ksyrup I don't believe anything that happens is unplanned, so I'm sure that was intentional as well. They set this up to give Scott a real chance at advancing. We've had less interesting/ less talented singers advance to the final 8 or so, and I think Scott will get about that far before his relative lack of talent will end his trip unless he shows some type of amazing growth as a singer.

That's what I'm hoping for.

[zums]

so i'm confused.... the wild card round is next week, BEFORE the third group?! or am i misunderstanding...?

[law90026]

More importantly, Brooke is still hot.

[Eaglesfan27]

so i'm confused.... the wild card round is next week, BEFORE the third group?! or am i misunderstanding...?

I'm not sure, but I think the 3rd group performs on Tuesday, results on Weds, and then Wildcard on Thursday.

[zums]

I'm not sure, but I think the 3rd group performs on Tuesday, results on Weds, and then Wildcard on Thursday.

Ok - i guess i was wondering how it would work for people from the third group to qualify for the wild card. so those people could be singing twice in the span of two days then, could see that being both an advantage or a disadvantage...

[adubroff]

Very strong night I thought, Jorge, Lil Rounds, Felicia, Nathaniel and Scott were all voteworthy in my mind. I thought Nathaniel got a bit of a bum rap for singing a bad song but his performance was good I thought, maybe better than good.

I guess if pushed for a trio, I'd go with Rounds, Jorge and Scott, but I don't really know how the voters will go on this one.

[Raiders Army]

I really don't get the guy who sang Meatloaf.

The first guy was good, but his facial expressions are so over the top.

[Thomkal]

Scott and Lil are pretty much slam dunks. Lil's been heavily promoted through the whole season, and Scott did well enough that people will vote for him because of his situation. The third spot is probably going to go to one of the guys again, I had thought Von before the show now he's got a challenger in Jorge. I didn't like any of Jorge's performances before tonight-his accent interfered too much and song choice. But he wasn't over the top tonight and sang a song a lot of people know and like, so good for him. And Von sang first and people tend to forget the person in that slot.

I liked the girl in the horrid dress (Kristinne? Katherine?) but probably won't get through over the guys. Didn't like Nathaniel or Felicia-still don't know why they brought her back over one of the girls that lost the sing-offs.

[sabotai]

Am I the only that thinks 4 judges is just too many? Sometimes it just drags the show to a halt since all 4 need to get all of their thoughts out, even if they are all the same. Just takes too long.

My votes would go to Von, Kristen and Kendall

Who will probably get through: Scott, Lil Rounds and Jorge

[Scoobz0202]

I felt tonight was fairly weak overall, especially the first half of the night. There were three though that I felt sticked out and they are:

Lil Rounds
Jorge
Felicia

[Solecismic]

We slowly reached the end of our third week of listening to new singers. It's exhausting. I can imagine it's even worse for the judges, because by the end of the evening, they were raving, raving, crazy about the most mediocre of contestants.

Strangely, I feel we don't really know the contestants very well. By this time last year, we had a good idea who the final 12 were, and what they could and couldn't sing. With this new format, the final 12 is essentially the beginning of a new competition. With the exception of the three heavily-pimped singers who won, or will win, their rounds (pun intended) quite handily.

While I thought the judging was unusually spot-on the first two weeks, tonight it simply broke down. Maybe the ratings decreases, which show that the format change was a disastrous mistake, put a lot of pressure on the production staff. They want to get the right final 12 at all costs. Or maybe the fourth judge, Kara, who is proving to be little more than a slightly more acerbic version of Paula, has finally upset the group dynamic. Who knows. I just found myself shaking my head at their comments a lot tonight.

Perhaps that means you'll disagree with me more than usual tonight. I haven't been very controversial this season. I suspect I might be with these choices. Without further ado, on to the Solecismic Ratings:

1. Ju'Not Joyner. I liked his easy, soft, controlled rendition of "Hey There Delilah." He slipped a little in the second half as he tried to show off more of his range, but he has a command of even the softer tones that's rare in this sort of competition. I think he could be a force if he manages to grab the viewers. Really the only good performance of the evening, though there were many decent attempts. Score of 86.

2. Lil Rounds. She screamed the way an American Idol contestant is supposed to scream. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, but then I remembered that this is what top Idol picks are supposed to do. It grabs the audience. Given that she had the pimp spot and the judges fell all over themselves loving on her, and she did a very credible Mary J. Blige, you have to give her a good grade and pass her on to the next round. Score of 78.

3. Kristen McNamara. The arrangement was odd. I was reminded of those endless Saturday Night Live sketches where a cast member portrays a mediocre lounge singer. It's slightly campy and the audience is into it, so you laugh a little and you realize at the end that you were thoroughly entertained. Kristen has a good bit of R&B in her, as much as she tries to hide it. And she probably has the best voice of anyone singing tonight. I'd like to see more of her. Score of 75.

4. Von Smith. A bit showy, Von likes to try the high notes. And maybe he's a bit sick, because those high notes were more than a little strained. Still, he's relaxed and polished, and I get the feeling he can do a lot more than he showed tonight. It wasn't a particularly good Marvin Gaye, but it was almost-good on an evening when most of the performances were almost-good. Score of 74.

5. Kendall Beard. I thought she started quite nicely in a low range that surprised me, given her cutesy little blonde appearance. It was a bland and easy arrangement of Martina McBride, a little too calculated an attempt to appeal to the vast numbers of country fans who watch the show. She had some serious pitch problems at the end of the song, which makes me question her staying power in this competition. Score of 73.

6. Scott MacIntyre. He made a solid choice that showed off his ordinary-plus singing ability. There's an excellent chance that if Jim Henson were alive today, Scott would be invited to take over a few of the muppets during those interminable musical numbers. The judges raved, I guess because of the blind thing. I don't know. What if he were a welder as well? Now a blind welder would probably have them spontaneously combusting all over the judges' table. Score of 71.

7. Taylor Vaifanua. I was disappointed. I think she won the Alicia Keys sing-off (most will probably disagree), but her pacing was off and she was clearly nervous as the song began. It was merely adequate. She is a talented girl, and she's loud enough to get the audience excited. I thought the judges were a bit unfair with her, and I didn't know why until Felicia took her turn later. Score of 70.

8. Nate Marshall. Last week, Nick Mitchell looked ridiculous, and his comedy routine fell flat. Nate can sing OK, but his appearance makes it impossible to see him as anything other than a novelty. His Meat Loaf imitation was soul-less, and reminded me a lot of what aerobics videos would sound like if sung in a karaoke parlor. Score of 52.

9. Arianna Asfar. I have one ABBA song on my MP3 player, "The Winner Takes it All." It's not a great song, certainly it's not a singer's song. But Agnetha Faltskog, for whatever reason, did a fantastic job with it, making it sound wistful and relevant. Arianna chose to mangle the song, as if Agnetha were singing in slow motion, or warming up to sing something later. She also missed the big note at the end. A very disappointing performance from someone who could have gone all the way. Score of 48.

10. Felicia Barton. There is an Idol formula, and Felicia embodied it. She received a second chance when Joanna Pacitti was declared ineligible after producers realized there is only so much favoritism the public can handle. Senator Roland Burris himself called a press conference complaining about the appearance of impropriety of Pacitti's selection. Felicia showed no range, was noisy, often unintelligible, and was very strained on the higher notes. I can not understand why the judges raved and raved, as if she were someone entirely different. It must be the formula. Score of 44.

11. Jorge Nunez. No one could do any wrong, according to the judges, in the second half of the show. I'm not sure Jorge hit a single note in his incredibly loud and poorly done Elton John imitation. He cried. I would cry, too, if I sang that badly and 30 million people heard me. Score of 40.

12. Alex Wagner-Trugman. Still, Jorge won the Elton John duel with Alex. We had bad dancing, and a contrived, growling, rambling and precocious attempt to make this song his own. He took a chance and he failed about as miserably as one can fail on this show. Score of 28.

Expected to Advance: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, Ju'Not Joyner.

Expected Saves by the Judges: Felicia Barton, Kendall Beard.

Deserves to Advance: Ju'Not Joyner, Lil Rounds, Kristen McNamara.

[mtolson]

Am I the only that thinks 4 judges is just too many? Sometimes it just drags the show to a halt since all 4 need to get all of their thoughts out, even if they are all the same. Just takes too long.

My votes would go to Von, Kristen and Kendall

Who will probably get through: Scott, Lil Rounds and Jorge

Not at all, at times it seems like they needed to cut them off just to keep the show progressing. How do you even split a 2 to 2 vote anyway ? 4 is a bad number for judges.

I think Lil, Felicia and JuNot should advance. Don't think JuNot will make it tough. Overall, Idol's in a tough spot here. The was by far the best week to me. I can easily see 6of them making it threw. However, I am sure that 1 or 2 need to be saved from the 1st and 2nd rounds. Really bad format this year.

[AgustusM]

I really loved Lil Rounds - I thought she was amazing and unlike most people I suspect I have never heard the song before.

[Raiders Army]

10. Felicia Barton. There is an Idol formula, and Felicia embodied it. She received a second chance when Joanna Pacitti was declared ineligible after producers realized there is only so much favoritism the public can handle. Senator Roland Burris himself called a press conference complaining about the appearance of impropriety of Pacitti's selection. Felicia showed no range, was noisy, often unintelligible, and was very strained on the higher notes. I can not understand why the judges raved and raved, as if she were someone entirely different. It must be the formula. Score of 44.
While I didn't agree with the judges' reactions, I could understand where they were coming from; they had to justify her coming back so they accentuated the positive.

[Alan T]

I thought the girls overall were really strong but the guys were for the most part horrible last night.

I thought only Scott and Jorge were halfway decent and probably give the edge to Jorge.

I think Lil Round was the best of the girls, even though they over-hyped her way too much. I liked several of the girl singers last night, the only two that were on the level of the guys horrid show was Felicia and Arianna as neither of them were good at all.

I'm suprised at how many people say they liked Ju'Not.. I hated him, hated the way he sung the song, hated everything about his performance.

[Raiders Army]

That Von Smith guy looks like Joey Lawrence.

[wade moore]

Some random thoughts.

Felicia - I didn't think she was as bad as everyone here is saying. I liked some things about how she sung and think she could do some other songs a lot better. I am a bit biased however, since I'm rooting for her as a local girl and a friend of a friend (i've never met her)

Kristen - I REALLY like her. I think she has a great sound to her voice and I actually thought this was a good performance. I think the judges are way too hard on her about her "look" at this stage. a) it's not that bad b) in the next stage she'll have stylists to fix that problem.

Ju'Not - I think he sang well. I HATED what he did to that song. I didn't like the arrangement at all.

Who I think goes through: Lil, Scott, Jorge

Who I think should go through: Lil, Kristen, ?Ju'Not?

I put the questions marks because I personally thought this was by FAR the worst guys night, I'm surprised everyone liked them so much.


Off to check dial idol now.

[wade moore]

I thought Nathaniel got a bit of a bum rap for singing a bad song but his performance was good I thought, maybe better than good.

Uh, what?

[Alan T]

Some random thoughts.

Felicia - I didn't think she was as bad as everyone here is saying. I liked some things about how she sung and think she could do some other songs a lot better. I am a bit biased however, since I'm rooting for her as a local girl and a friend of a friend (i've never met her)

Kristen - I REALLY like her. I think she has a great sound to her voice and I actually thought this was a good performance. I think the judges are way too hard on her about her "look" at this stage. a) it's not that bad b) in the next stage she'll have stylists to fix that problem.

Ju'Not - I think he sang well. I HATED what he did to that song. I didn't like the arrangement at all.

Who I think goes through: Lil, Scott, Jorge

Who I think should go through: Lil, Kristen, ?Ju'Not?

I put the questions marks because I personally thought this was by FAR the worst guys night, I'm surprised everyone liked them so much.


Off to check dial idol now.

Sounds like you and I are on the same page almost exactly.

[Mustang]

I found last nights episode just flat out boring.

Do these people not watch idol or get suggestions on what or what not to sing? Picking THAT Abba song? Are you trying to be 50?

And Nathaniel, Meatloaf? Really? I hope the Indian, Policeman and Navy guy weren't pissed at you for leaving them off stage.

[MJ4H]

Felicia - disaster

Kristen - okayish

Ju'Not - only okayish - too many pitch problems, but it is tough to control what he tried to do, so almost forgiveable

Lil - pretty darn good

Kendall - way too many pitch problems

Scott - He has gotten this far only because he is a likable story. His singing is not good, though he does try to make it passionate, which a lot of people enjoy enough to overlook the *obvious* flaws.

Jorge - Not as good as the judges think, but not awful.

Can't think of anyone else that wasn't a complete disaster.

[Ksyrup]

Felicia - disaster

Kristen - okayish

Ju'Not - only okayish - too many pitch problems, but it is tough to control what he tried to do, so almost forgiveable

Lil - pretty darn good

Kendall - way too many pitch problems

Scott - He has gotten this far only because he is a likable story. His singing is not good, though he does try to make it passionate, which a lot of people enjoy enough to overlook the *obvious* flaws.

Jorge - Not as good as the judges think, but not awful.

Can't think of anyone else that wasn't a complete disaster.

I completely agree with MJFH!

And on the issue of song choice, this comes up every year, and past idol contestants make the same comments over and over about what really goes on behind the scenes. So it pisses me off to no end that they aren't allowed to say anything about it now, and that the show continues to make it a major theme despite the fact that they are the ones screwing over the contestants (likely on purpose for several of the people who are nothing more than fodder). Here's yet another former contestant - Jason Yeager, from last year - saying what others before him have said:

About song choice, “The judges are always harping on song choice, song choice, song choice, but you’re given a very short list of songs they have paid the rights to air on television and you pick 3 songs off of that list and the producers tell you which one you’re going to do..”

Wildcard spoilers:

Ricky Braddy, Anoop, and Matt Giraud were spotted shopping with a couple of the contestants who already made it through. No question they will be in the wild card.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I don't claim to know a damn thing about singing, but when my wife and I heard what Ju'Not was doing to "Hey There Delilah", we cringed. Neither one of us likes that song to begin with, and it sounded like he actually made it slower than the original. I thought that would be impossible to do, like making boiling water "boilier." He proved me wrong.

And the name "Lil Rounds" makes me want to punch her in the face.

[MJ4H]

And the name "Lil Rounds" makes me want to punch her in the face.

this

[wade moore]

I don't claim to know a damn thing about singing, but when my wife and I heard what Ju'Not was doing to "Hey There Delilah", we cringed. Neither one of us likes that song to begin with, and it sounded like he actually made it slower than the original. I thought that would be impossible to do, like making boiling water "boilier." He proved me wrong.


It was definitely slowed down. I like the original fwiw and as I said above did not like this arrangement at all.

[wade moore]

I'm still up in the air on whether I like this format.

As Jim mentions, we're really not "getting to know" the top 12, and that bothers me.

But at the same time, if I had to watch some of these people for what? 6 weeks in the old format? To get to the top 12, my god.

[Ksyrup]

Personally, I think not knowing these people before the top 12 is way better than knowing them, and then having to listen to them do the same thing over and over for another 10-12 weeks. I'd rather get to my "saturation point" with any particular singer by top 7, rather than at maybe top 11 or 12. I could definitely have done without 2 or 3 (or 10) additional David Archuleta performances last year, and I think we still would have known who he is as an artist.

If they want to go back to the truly unknown contestants who need time to find themselves as artists and improve in both performance and look, then I'd agree that the old format is better. But even Clay Aiken came out of a format like this one, and he needed about as much work as any contestant to transform into a passable recording artist. So even that isn't as huge an issue as it might seem.

[Ksyrup]

I don't claim to know a damn thing about singing, but when my wife and I heard what Ju'Not was doing to "Hey There Delilah", we cringed. Neither one of us likes that song to begin with, and it sounded like he actually made it slower than the original. I thought that would be impossible to do, like making boiling water "boilier." He proved me wrong.

I thought Paula's attempt to cover herself for chastising a previous contestant for doing a Hollywood song and then letting this guy off the hook was pretty lame. We saw him do this song in Hollywood. Oddly enough, the first time I'd ever heard this song was during Hollywood week, when I heard roughly 75 different versions of it (or at least, 3-15 seconds of it). I don't even know what the original sounds like.

[Mustang]

Tatianna in the wildcard? What a f'n joke.

[MJ4H]

That was very disappointing, yes.

[Raiders Army]

So....what happened to Felicia doing so well last night? No wildcard? It's so surprising!!!!

Tatiana getting a wildcard spot was really surprising...her reaction was not.

[Solecismic]

I'm puzzled by the Tatiana choice. Not that she's all that far from deserving one, but that we've already seen far too much of her and she hasn't really grabbed the audience.

Seems like a stunt choice to me, no real chance of advancing to the final 12.

We now have six men and three women in the final 12. And none of the three are the typical eye candy with a semi-decent voice this show needs to grab the male audience. Megan is pretty enough, but she has an unusual style, and the sleeve makes her anything but wholesome.

It's likely that they will choose one man and two women to join the final 12. What makes this difficult is that they've drawn themselves into a corner with their choices.

For the male slot, I think they will decide completely based on tomorrow's performances. They have a good sense of what plays to the public, and all four are people the judges have liked from day one, but were somewhat disappointing in how they did in the semifinals.

I think Ricky has an edge as the best singer from the group, but any of the four has the ability to knock one out of the park. In that sense, they probably wish Jorge hadn't charmed everyone with his intensely mediocre performance along with the crying. If he had done that earlier in the show, without the undeserved raving and the tears, there's no way he'd be out there right now.

And Kris Allen over Megan in the voting was an example of why this format (3 out of 12) has its issues. Next year, if they go to expanded semi-finalists again, they will probably do four rounds, splitting men and women again.

Jorge and Kris will be out in the next four weeks, likely joined by Michael Sarver and Jasmine Murray.

There has been significant criticism in the press of the lack of African Americans in the finals. It was definitely a mistake not to put Lil in the first round, I think they expected Jasmine and Stephen to sail through.

After all, this is a show that has had three African American winners in seven seasons. To have only one in the entire finals would ramp up the criticism even more, and would threaten to overshadow the show as it tries to build momentum.

I was surprised Ju'Not didn't get a second chance, because this means Jasmine will get a finalist's spot even if she's absolutely terrible tomorrow. There's no question Jasmine has the commercial appeal, she's just not that good a singer.

That leaves Jesse and Megan battling for the final spot. That can be decided tomorrow as well. Jesse is the plant, of course, and has made the most of her talents. She's pretty, but forgettable. Megan is the unusual talent who has the ability to go all the way if she can gain a foothold. Jesse does not have that ability, so I think Megan has a significant edge here.

As for the rest, the 19 who are now eliminated, I'm disappointed only about Mishavonna Henson. The format has made it more difficult for the women, and she was good enough to earn another shot. I think they made a mistake not adding her in, maybe removing Matt Giraud, who is interesting and has talent, but really isn't right for this type of competition. I also would have given Kristen McNamara a shot rather than the stunt-casted Tatiana.

[Thomkal]

Tatiana being put in the wild-card is a joke because she is a joke, has been a joke all-season long. Took the spot of a more deserving woman like the two Jim mentioned in a season where the woman are already the weaker sex of the two.

I think Jasmine too is a shoo-in given just Lil in the Final 12, and I was surprised Ju'Not wasn't given a spot based on that too. But African-americans really have little to complain about. Lots of good black singers in season past, three winners. Just wasn't a good season for African-American talent is all. I'll be very interested in hearing what the judges say if Jasmine bombs.

I'm not overly enthusiastic about any of the four women they put through, but I'd very much like to hear what their last second decision was that put Jesse in. I wonder if they thought two girls would make it from the final group and had to rearrange when only one did. I probably like her the best of the four woman. Not very surprised by any of the boys choices-all either were judges favorites before they performed in this round (Anoop, Matt) and chose the wrong songs, or were a bit of a surprise in their groups with a good performance. (Von, Ricky). Sad to see the country guy (Brett?) didn't make it though.